Edge computing platform based on wireless mesh architecture

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is an architecture for an edge computing platform based on an underlying wireless mesh network. The architecture includes nodes installed with equipment for operating as part of a wireless mesh network, including (1) a first tier of one or more Point of Presence (PoP) node, (2) a second tier of one or more seed nodes that are each directly connected to at least one PoP node via a PoP-to-seed wireless link, and (3) a third tier of one or more anchor nodes that are each connected to at least one seed node either (i) directly via a seed-to-anchor wireless link or (ii) indirectly via one or more intermediate anchor nodes, one or more anchor-to-anchor wireless links, and one seed-to-anchor wireless link, where at least one node in each of these tiers is further installed with equipment for operating as part of an edge computing platform.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. Pat.App. No. 17/506,594, filed Oct. 20, 2021, and entitled “EDGE COMPUTINGPLATFORM BASED ON WIRELESS MESH ARCHITECTURE,” which claims priority toU.S. Provisional Application No. 63/094,306, filed Oct. 20, 2020 andentitled “NEXT GENERATION EDGE COMPUTING PLATFORM USING MILLIMETER WAVEWIRELESS MESH NETWORK,” each of which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Today, many software applications that run on client devices rely on aback-end computing platform for tasks such as processing and datastorage. In practice, such a back-end computing platform typically takesthe form of a centralized, cloud-based computing platform that isaccessed by client devices over the Internet. However, for some types ofmodern software applications, it is becoming increasingly difficult fora centralized, cloud-based computing platform to perform these tasks ina manner that complies with bandwidth and/or latency requirements forsuch software applications. For instance, some modern softwareapplications require a large volume of data to be exchanged between aclient device and a back-end computing platform, and if all of that datais required to be sent back to a centralized, cloud-based computingplatform for processing and/or data storage, it can consume asignificant amount of bandwidth and also suffer from increased latency,which may degrade the responsiveness and usability of the softwareapplication. Some examples of software applications where this maypresent an issue include autonomous vehicle (“AV”) applications,industrial automation and/or robotics applications, augmented/virtualreality applications, and video monitoring and/or processingapplications, among other possibilities.

OVERVIEW

Due to these and other issues with utilizing a centralized, cloud-basedcomputing platform to perform processing and/or data storage for certainsoftware applications, edge computing platforms have recently emerged asan alternative option for performing back-end processing and/or datastorage for a software application that is to be run on client devices.In general, an edge computing platform comprises a distributed computingtopology in which computing systems for processing and/or storing dataare located closer to where the data for an application is actuallygenerated and/or consumed, which is referred to as the “edge” of thetopology. In this respect, software applications that utilize an edgecomputing platform may be referred herein as “edge computingapplications,” and the computing systems within the edge computingplatform that perform the processing and/or data storage for an edgecomputing application may be referred to as “edge computing systems.”

While existing edge computing platforms do provide bandwidth and latencyimprovements over centralized, cloud-based computing platforms forcertain edge computing applications, the architecture of these existingedge computing platforms still leaves much room for improvement,particularly in terms of the technology used to interconnect the edgecomputing systems of an edge computing platform, the distribution of theprocessing power within the edge computing platform (which is typicallyuniform across the different nodes), and the manner in which processingand data storage tasks for an edge computing application are managed andhandled within the edge computing platform.

To address these and other problems with existing edge computingplatforms, disclosed herein is a new architecture for an edge computingplatform that is built on top of an underlying wireless mesh networkarchitecture comprising multiple different tiers of nodes that areinterconnected via wireless point-to-point (ptp) or point-to-multipoint(ptmp) links (e.g., millimeter-wave ptp or ptmp links). For instance, awireless mesh network constructed in accordance with the presentdisclosure may comprise (1) a first tier of one or more fiber Point ofPresence (PoP) nodes that are each located at a PoP site having fiberaccess to a core network, (2) a second tier of one or more seed nodesthat are each located at a seed site (e.g., a residential or commercialbuilding) and connect back to at least one fiber PoP node via aPoP-to-seed wireless ptp or ptmp link, and (3) a third tier of one ormore anchor nodes that are each located at an anchor site (e.g., aresidential or commercial building) and connect back to at least oneseed node either directly via a seed-to-anchor wireless ptp or ptmp linkor indirectly through one or more intermediate anchor nodes, one or moreanchor-to-anchor wireless ptp or ptmp links, and one seed-to-anchorwireless ptp or ptmp link.

This wireless mesh architecture (which may sometimes be referred to as a“next generation” wireless mesh network) may be utilized to delivervarious types of services to end users, including but not limited totelecommunication services such as high-speed internet. In this respect,one pool of end users may be individuals that are located (e.g., resideor work) at the fiber PoP, seed, and anchor sites for the wireless meshnetwork, but in addition, end users can receive such service(s) throughclient nodes that are equipped to connect to the wireless mesh network(and more particularly, to certain nodes of the wireless mesh networksuch as anchor nodes that are physically closest to the client nodes)via wireless ptp or ptmp links.

In one implementation of the disclosed architecture, the fiber PoP,seed, and anchor nodes of the wireless mesh network may beinterconnected together via wireless ptp links, while the client nodesmay connect to the wireless mesh network via wireless ptmp links thatoriginate at certain nodes of the wireless mesh network (e.g., anchornodes). In this respect, the wireless mesh network may be considered tohave two different “layers” (or “segments”) of wireless links: (1) afirst “ptp layer” comprising the wireless ptp links that interconnectthe fiber PoP, seed, and anchor nodes together, which may requireminimal or no coordination after deployment of the wireless meshnetwork, and (2) a second “ptmp layer” comprising the wireless ptmplinks that connect infrastructure nodes of the wireless mesh network toclient nodes, which may require some coordination for frequencyplanning, interference mitigation, or the like.

In accordance with the present disclosure, some of all of the nodes inthe different tiers of the wireless mesh network may then additionallybe installed with respective equipment that enables such nodes tooperate as part of an edge computing platform, such as respective edgecomputing systems each comprising hardware and associated software forperforming functions related to an edge computing application, whileclient nodes may be programmed with the capability to operate asendpoints for one or more edge computing applications that utilize theedge computing platform. The edge computing systems installed at thedifferent tiers of nodes in the wireless mesh network may then beconfigured to communicate with one another via the wireless linksdescribed above, which may take the form of millimeter-wave ptp and/orptmp links that have high capacity (e.g., a bandwidth ranging from 20gigabits per second to 100 gigabits per second bi-directionally) and lowlatency (e.g., less than 1 millisecond for ptp links and less than 4milliseconds for ptmp links). This novel architecture enables the nodesin the wireless mesh network to additionally perform processing and/ordata storage for edge computing applications in a distributed manner atsites that are closer to the location where data for the edge computingapplications is being generated and/or consumed, which may improve theresponse time and/or usability of such edge computing applications.

In one implementation of the disclosed architecture, the edge computingsystems that are installed at the different tiers of nodes of thewireless mesh network may also have different levels of processingpower. For instance, the edge computing systems installed at fiber PoPnodes of a wireless mesh network may generally have the highest level ofprocessing power within the communication system, the edge computingsystems installed at seed nodes of the wireless mesh network maygenerally have the second highest level of processing power within thecommunication system, and the edge computing systems installed at anchornodes of the wireless mesh network may generally have the third highestlevel of processing power within the communication system. In thisrespect, the processing power of the edge computing systems may bedefined based on various factors, examples of which may include clockspeed, memory size, number of processing cores, and/or total number ofphysical computers/servers, among other possibilities.

When engaging in processing and/or data storage for an edge computingapplication, such an implementation enables the distributed edgecomputing platform disclosed herein to intelligently balance between (1)utilizing edge computing systems installed at nodes that are closer toan endpoint of an edge computing application such as anchor nodes, whichmay have lesser processing power than other nodes that are deeper intothe distributed edge computing platform but may enable the communicationbetween the endpoint and the nodes to traverse shorter distances (e.g.,a lower number of hops) that should theoretically result in lowerlatency, and (2) utilizing edge computing systems installed at nodesthat are further away from an endpoint of an edge computing applicationsuch as seed nodes or fiber PoP nodes, which may have more processingpower than other nodes that are closer to the edge of the distributededge computing platform but may require communication between theendpoint and the nodes to traverse longer distances (e.g., a highernumber of hops) that may result in increased latency. In this respect,the edge computing systems belonging to the different tiers of thedistributed edge computing platform disclosed herein may function tocoordinate with one another to arbitrate the utilization of edgecomputing resources within the platform in a manner that is intended tooptimize certain metrics related to the edge computing application, suchas response time or bandwidth.

For instance, when an edge computing system installed at a given nodereceives a request to process data for an edge computing application,the edge computing system may evaluate and balance factors such as (1)the available processing power at the receiving node as compared toother nodes of the distributed edge computing platform, which may bedefined in terms of the total available processing power at the nodesand perhaps also the current utilization of the processing power at thenodes (to the extent such information is available), and (2) theexpected latency involved in offloading the processing to one or moreother nodes in the distributed edge computing platform, which may bedefined in terms of a number of hops between the receiving node and theone or more other nodes, the maximum available bandwidth (or minimumpossible latency) of each wireless link between the receiving node andthe one or more other nodes, and perhaps also the current utilization ofeach wireless link between the receiving node and the one or more othernodes (to the extent such information is available). The edge computingsystem at the receiving node may evaluate other factors as well. Basedon its evaluation, the edge computing system at the receiving node maythen determine an appropriate plan for processing the data for the edgecomputing application (e.g., a plan that is expected to yield thequickest response time), and if that plan involves processing at one ormore other nodes within the distributed edge computing platform, theedge computing system at the receiving node may in turn coordinate withthe edge computing system at each of the one or more other nodes inorder to cause the processing to be carried out.

Accordingly, in one aspect, disclosed herein is a computing systemcomprising a set of nodes that are installed with respective equipmentfor operating as part of a wireless mesh network, the set of nodescomprising (1) a first tier of one or more nodes that are each locatedat a PoP site having fiber access to a core network, (2) a second tierof one or more nodes that are each located at a seed site (e.g., aresidential or commercial building), where each node in the second tieris directly connected to at least one node in the first tier via aPoP-to-seed wireless link, and (3) a third tier of one or more nodesthat are each located at an anchor site (e.g., a residential orcommercial building), where each node in the third tier is connected toat least one node in the second tier either (i) directly via aseed-to-anchor wireless link or (ii) indirectly via one or moreintermediate nodes in the third tier, one or more anchor-to-anchorwireless links, and one seed-to-anchor wireless link, where at least onenode in the first tier, at least one node in the second tier, and atleast one node in the third tier is further installed with respectiveequipment (e.g., a respective edge computing system) for operating aspart of an edge computing platform.

In example embodiments, the respective edge computing system installedat the at least one node in the first tier has a higher level ofprocessing power than the respective edge computing system installed atthe least one node in the second tier, and the respective edge computingsystem installed at the least one node in the second tier has a higherlevel of processing power than the respective edge computing systeminstalled at the least one node in the third tier.

Further, in example embodiments, the respective edge computing systemsinstalled at the at least one node in the first tier, the at least onenode in the second tier, and the at least one node in the third tier areconfigured to coordinate with one another to arbitrate utilization ofcomputing resources within the edge computing platform based at least on(i) processing power and (ii) latency.

Further yet, in example embodiments, the computing system may furthercomprise a client node that is connected to the wireless mesh networkvia an anchor-to-client wireless link that originates at a given node inthe third tier (e.g., whichever node in the third tier is physicallyclosest to the client node), where the client node is configured tooperate as an endpoint for an edge computing application that utilizesthe edge computing platform. In such example embodiments, eachPoP-to-seed wireless link, each seed-to-anchor wireless link, and eachanchor-to-anchor wireless link may comprise a millimeter-wave ptp link,while the anchor-to-client wireless link may comprise a millimeter-waveptmp link.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technicaladvantages of examples according to this disclosure so that thefollowing detailed description may be better understood. Additionalfeatures and advantages will be described below. It should be understoodthat the specific examples disclosed herein may be readily utilized as abasis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out thesame operations disclosed herein. Characteristics of the conceptsdisclosed herein including their organization and method of operationtogether with associated advantages will be better understood from thefollowing description when considered in connection with theaccompanying figures. It should be understood that the figures areprovided for the purpose of illustration and description only.

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate these as well asnumerous other aspects in reading the following disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A further understanding of the nature and advantages the presentdisclosure may be realized by reference to the following drawings.

FIG. 1 depicts an example of a communication system that is based on awireless mesh network, in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 depicts one possible example of a wireless communication nodecomprising a Module A type of radio module, in accordance with thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 3 depicts an example antenna pattern of a Module A type of radiomodule, in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 depicts an example of a point-to-point communication linkestablished between two wireless communication nodes, in accordance withthe present disclosure;

FIG. 5 depicts an example of a wireless communication node invoking beamsteering, in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 depicts an example of an arrangement in which certain wirelesscommunication nodes are communicating with multiple other wirelesscommunication nodes, in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 depicts another possible example of a wireless communication nodecomprising a Module B type of radio module, in accordance with thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 8 . depicts yet another possible example of a wirelesscommunication node comprising a Module C type of radio module, inaccordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 depicts an example of a wireless communication node comprisingModule A and Module C types of radio modules, in accordance with thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 10 depicts an example of a wireless communication node comprisingModule B and Module C types of radio modules, in accordance with thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 11A depicts an example of a wireless communication nodecommunicating with multiple other wireless communication nodes at afirst time, in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 11B depicts an example of a wireless communication nodecommunicating with multiple other wireless communication nodes at asecond time after the wireless communication node has engaged in beamsteering to dynamically change its wireless connections, in accordancewith the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 depicts an example of a site at which at which a seed or ananchor node of a wireless mesh network has been deployed, in accordancewith the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 depicts another example of a site at which at which a seed or ananchor node of a wireless mesh network has been deployed, in accordancewith the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 depicts another example of wireless communication nodecomprising a Module D type of radio module, in accordance with thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 15 depicts an example of multiple wireless communication nodescomprising a Module D type of radio modules connected to a tower, inaccordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 16 depicts another example of a communication system that comprisesa wireless mesh network, in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 17 depicts yet another example of a communication system thatcomprises a wireless mesh network, in accordance with the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 18 depicts still another example of a communication system thatcomprises a wireless mesh network, in accordance with the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 19 depicts an example of communication module based on directRF-to-Optical and direct Optical-to-RF conversion, in accordance withthe present disclosure;

FIG. 20 depicts an example router/switch, in accordance with the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 21 depicts an example block diagram of flexible millimeter-wavecommunication equipment, in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 22 depicts an example block diagram of a ptmp radio module of acommunication node, in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 23 depicts an example block diagram of a ptp radio module of acommunication node, in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 24 depicts an example of a wireless mesh network comprising aplurality of communication nodes, in accordance with the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 25A depicts another example of a wireless mesh network comprising aplurality of communication nodes, in accordance with the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 25B depicts yet another example of a wireless mesh networkcomprising a plurality of communication nodes, in accordance with thepresent disclosure; and

FIG. 26 depicts an example modified version of flexible millimeter-wavecommunication equipment, in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 27 depicts an example of a multi-layer wireless mesh network, inaccordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 28 depicts another example of a multi-layer wireless mesh network,in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 29 depicts an example of a communication system in which an edgecomputing platform has been built on top of a wireless mesh network, inaccordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 30 is a simplified block diagram of an edge computing system, inaccordance with the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed herein are technologies for wireless mesh networks that serveas the basis for communication systems configured to provide varioustypes of services to end users, including but not limited totelecommunication services such as high-speed internet.

For instance, the wireless mesh network technologies disclosed hereinmay form the basis for a data communication system capable of providingmultigigabit internet speeds through a mesh network of infrastructurenodes interconnected via wireless point-to-point (ptp) and/orpoint-to-multipoint (ptmp) links, such as the example communicationsystem 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 . As shown, communication system 100 inFIG. 1 includes Tower/ fiber access points 101 and 102, which may eachalso be referred to as a fiber Point of Presence (“PoP”). Tower/fiberaccess points 101 and 102 can be co-located or can be located atdifferent physical locations. Tower/fiber access points 101 and 102 haveaccess to a high-bandwidth dark (or lit) fiber capable of providing upto several hundred gigabits/second of data throughput. Tower/fiberaccess points 101 and 102 provide backhaul connectivity to a corenetwork/data center (not shown in the FIG. 1 for the sake ofsimplicity).

In accordance with the present disclosure, Tower/Fiber access points 101and 102 may host respective wireless communication equipment thatenables Tower/Fiber access points 101 and 102 to operate as wirelesscommunication nodes of a wireless mesh network. In this respect, theTower/Fiber access points 101 and 102 that are installed with thewireless communication equipment for operating as wireless mesh nodesmay each be referred to herein as a “fiber PoP node” of the wirelessmesh network shown in FIG. 1 .

For instance, as shown, Tower/Fiber access points 101 and 102 may hostrespective sets of wireless communication equipment 122 and 123 forestablishing ptp links with a next tier of wireless communication nodesin the wireless mesh network (which, as noted below, may be referred toas the “seed nodes” of the wireless communication network). Therespective sets of wireless communication equipment 121 and 124 arecapable of reception and transmission of high bandwidth (multiplegigahertz) signals operating at very high frequencies (e.g., 6 Ghz ~100Ghz such as 28 Ghz, V band, E band, etc.). The respective sets ofwireless communication equipment 121 and 124 may each comprise abaseband/digital unit equipped with components including but not limitedto a processor, memory, etc. The respective sets of wirelesscommunication equipment 121 and 124 also each comprise an RF unit and anantenna unit for establishing at least one ptp link with anotherwireless communication node of the wireless mesh network. In at leastsome embodiments, the antenna subsystem of each respective set ofwireless communication equipment 121 and 124 is capable of reception andtransmission of directional signals where a significant portion of thesignal energy is concentrated within a few degrees around the antennaboresight (e.g., within a range of 0.5 degrees to 5 degrees), both invertical and horizontal directions, in contrast to omni directionalantennas where signal energy is close to evenly spread across 360°degrees.

As further shown in FIG. 1 , communication system 100 includes seedhomes 111 and 115. Examples of seed homes include detached single-familyhomes, non-detached residential buildings such as multi-dwelling units(MDUs), commercial buildings such as small/medium businesses (SMB), orsome other private property or infrastructure, where communicationequipment can be deployed on rooftops of such seed homes among otherpossibilities. (In this respect, it will be appreciated that a “seedhome” need not necessarily be a residential home.) In accordance withthe present disclosure, seed homes 111 and 115 may host respectivewireless communication equipment that enables seed homes 111 and 115 tooperate as wireless communication nodes of a wireless mesh network. Inthis respect, the seed homes 111 and 115 that are installed with therespective wireless communication equipment for operating as wirelessmesh nodes may each be referred to herein as a “seed node” of thewireless mesh network shown in FIG. 1 .

For instance, as shown in FIG. 1 , seed homes 111 and 115 may hostrespective sets of wireless communication equipment 122 and 123 forestablishing ptp links with the fiber PoP nodes of the wireless meshnetwork, which may be considered a different tier of the wireless meshnetwork. The respective sets of wireless communication equipment 122 and123 are each capable of reception and transmission of high bandwidth(multiple gigahertz) signals operating at very high frequencies (e.g., 6Ghz ~100 Ghz such as 28 Ghz, V band, E band, etc.), which are commonlyreferred to as millimeter-wave frequencies. The respective sets ofwireless communication equipment 122 and 123 may each comprise abaseband/digital unit equipped with components including but not limitedto a processor, memory, etc. The respective sets of wirelesscommunication equipment 122 and 123 may also comprise an RF unit andantenna unit for establishing at least one ptp link with anotherwireless communication node in the wireless mesh network. In at leastsome embodiments, the antenna subsystem of each respective set ofwireless communication equipment 122 and 123 may be capable of receptionand transmission of directional signals where a significant portion ofthe signal energy is concentrated within a few degrees around theantenna boresight (e.g., within a range of 0.5 degrees to 5 degrees),both in vertical and horizontal directions, in contrast to omnidirectional antennas where signal energy is close to evenly spreadacross 360° degrees.

For example, wireless communication equipment 121 residing atTower/fiber access point 101 and wireless communication equipment 122residing at seed home 111 may work together to form a bi-directionalhigh-bandwidth communication ptp data link 141 that providesconnectivity between Tower/fiber access point 101 and seed home 111.Similarly, wireless communication equipment 124 residing at Tower/fiberaccess point 102 and wireless communication equipment 123 residing atseed home 115 nay work together to form a bi-directional high-bandwidthcommunication ptp data link 142 that provides connectivity betweenTower/fiber access point 102 and seed home 115.

As further shown in FIG. 1 , seed homes 111 and 115, in addition towireless communication equipment 122 and 123, may also host respective,second sets of wireless communication equipment 131 and 135 forestablishing ptp and/or ptmp links with a next tier of wirelesscommunication nodes in the wireless mesh network (which, as noted below,may be referred to as “anchor nodes” of the wireless mesh network). Inthe example of FIG. 1 , the respective, second sets of wirelesscommunication equipment 131 and 135 may each comprise multipleindependent transmission/reception submodules for establishing multipleptp and/or ptmp links, which may also be referred to as “radio modules.”However, it should be understood that the respective, second sets ofwireless communication equipment 131 and 135 could also each comprise asingle radio module for establishing a single ptp or ptmp link, asopposed to multiple radio modules.

Each module of the respective, second sets of wireless communicationequipment 131 and 135 is capable of reception and transmission of highbandwidth (multiple gigahertz) signals operating at very highfrequencies (e.g., 6 Ghz ~100 Ghz such as 28 Ghz, V band, E band, etc.),which as noted above are commonly referred to as millimeter-wavefrequencies. Each module of the respective, second sets of wirelesscommunication equipment 131 and 135 comprises an independentbaseband/digital unit equipped with components including but not limitedto a processor, memory, etc. Each module in the respective, second setsof wireless communication equipment 131 and 135 also comprises anindependent RF unit and independent antenna unit for establishing atleast one ptp link or ptmp link with another wireless communication node(or perhaps multiple other wireless communication nodes) in the wirelessmesh network. In at least some embodiments, the antenna subsystem of oneor more modules of the second set of wireless communication equipment131 may be a ptp antenna unit that is capable of reception andtransmission of directional signals where a significant portion of thesignal energy is concentrated within a few degrees around the antennaboresight (e.g., within a range of 0.5 degrees to 5 degrees), both invertical and horizontal directions, in contrast to omni directionalantennas where signal energy is close to evenly spread across 360°degrees. However, in other embodiments, the antenna subsystem of one ormore modules of the second set of wireless communication equipment 131may be a ptmp antenna unit that is capable of beamforming and creatingmultiple beams simultaneously in different directions. As described infurther detail below, the second set of wireless communication equipment131 may take various other forms as well.

Communication system 100 also includes multiple anchor homes 112, 113and 114. As with seed homes 111 and 115, anchor homes 112, 113 and 114may include detached single-family homes, non-detached residentialbuildings such as MDUs, commercial buildings such as SMBs, or some otherprivate property or infrastructure, where wireless communicationequipment can be deployed on rooftops of such anchor homes among otherpossibilities. (In this respect, it will be appreciated that an “anchorhome” need not necessarily be a residential home.) Further, as with seedhomes 111 and 115, anchor homes 112, 113 and 114 may host respectivewireless communication equipment that enables anchor homes 112, 113 and114 to operate as wireless communication nodes of a wireless meshnetwork. However, unlike seed homes 111 and 115, anchor homes aregenerally not installed with wireless communication equipment thatprovides a direct wireless connectivity to any Tower/Fiber access point.Instead, anchor homes 112, 113 and 114 are typically only installed withwireless communication equipment for establishing ptp and/or ptmp linkswith seed nodes and/or with other wireless communication nodes in thesame tier of the wireless mesh network, where such wirelesscommunication equipment may be similar to the respective, second sets ofwireless communication equipment 131 and 135 for establishing ptp and/orptmp links that is installed at each of the seed homes 111 and 115. Theanchor homes 112, 113 and 114 that are installed with the respectivewireless communication equipment for operating as wireless mesh nodesmay each be referred to herein as an “anchor node” of the wireless meshnetwork shown in FIG. 1 .

For example, anchor home 112 hosts wireless communication equipment 132.A first module of wireless communication equipment 132 residing atanchor home 112 and another module of wireless communication equipment131 residing at seed home 111 may work together to form a bi-directionalhigh bandwidth communication ptp data link 151 that provides wirelessconnectivity between seed home 111 and anchor home 112. Similarly, asanother example, a second module of wireless communication equipment 132residing at anchor home 112 and a module of wireless communicationequipment 133 residing at anchor home 113 may work together to form abi-directional high bandwidth communication ptp data link 153 thatprovides wireless connectivity between anchor home 112 and anchor home113. As yet another example, a third module of wireless communicationequipment 132 residing at anchor home 112 and a module of wirelesscommunication equipment 135 residing at seed home 115 may work togetherto form a bi-directional high bandwidth communication ptp data link 154that provides wireless connectivity between anchor home 112 and seedhome 115. As a further example, another module of wireless communicationequipment 131 residing at seed home 111 and a module of wirelesscommunication equipment 134 residing at anchor home 114 work together toform a bi-directional high bandwidth communication ptp data link 152that provides wireless connectivity between anchor home 114 and seedhome 111. As still another example, another module of wirelesscommunication equipment 134 residing at anchor home 114 and a module ofwireless communication equipment 135 residing at seed home 115 may worktogether to form a bi-directional high bandwidth communication ptp datalink 155 that provides wireless connectivity between anchor home 114 andseed home 115. Other examples are possible as well.

Bi-directional communication links 141, 142, 151, 152, 153, 154 & 155shown in FIG. 1 can use various different multiple access schemes fortransmission and reception including but not limited to frequencydivision multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA),single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), single carrier TDMA (SC-TDMA), codedivision multiple access (CDMA), orthogonal frequency division multipleaccess (OFDMA), and/or non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) asdescribed in various generations of communication technologies including1G, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G and 6G, etc. Further, in at least some embodiments,bi-directional communication links 141, 142, 151, 152, 153, 154 & 155may each comprise a millimeter-wave link. Further yet, bi-directionalcommunication links 141, 142, 151, 152, 153, 154 & 155 formed by a setof communication nodes comprising two or more of 121, 122, 123, 124,131, 132, 133, 134, and/or 135 are capable of data information transfervia a variety of digital transmission schemes, including but not limitedto amplitude modulation (AM), phase modulation (PM), pulse amplitudemodulation/quadrature amplitude modulation (PAM/QAM), and/or ultra-wideband (UWB) pulse modulation (pico-second pulses), etc.

In FIG. 1 , two Tower/fiber access points 101 & 102, two seed homes 111& 115 and three anchor homes 112, 113 & 114 and seven bi-directional ptpdata links 141, 142, 151, 152, 153, 154 & 155 are shown to illustrate anexample of a communication system that is based on the wireless meshnetwork technologies disclosed herein. However, in general, it should beunderstood that communication system 100 can include a different numberof Tower/fiber PoP nodes, seed nodes, anchor nodes, and/or communicationlinks, which may depend on the specific layout of a particularinstantiation of the communication system deployed in the field.Similarly, although, FIG. 1 shows a particular arrangement ofcommunication equipment 121, 122, 123 & 124 that provides connectivitybetween a Tower/fiber access point (e.g., Tower/fiber access points 101,102) and a seed home, as well as a particular arrangement ofcommunication equipment 131, 132, 133, 134 & 135 that providesconnectivity between two anchor homes or between an anchor and a seedhome, the wireless communication equipment that is installed at thenodes of a wireless mesh network can vary from one communication systemto another communication system, which may depend on the specific sizeand layout of a particular instantiation of the communication system. Itshould also be understood that communication system 100 may also containother nodes (e.g., network switches/routers, etc.) that are omitted herefor the sake of simplicity.

In line with the discussion above, communication system 100 of FIG. 1may be utilized to provide any of various types of services to endusers, including but not limited to telecommunication services such ashigh-speed internet. In this respect, it should be understood that onepool of end users of the service(s) provided by communication system 100may be individuals that reside (or work) at the seed homes and anchorhomes of FIG. 1 . Additionally, although not shown in FIG. 1 , it shouldbe understood that communication system of FIG. 1 may also includeclient nodes that connect to certain nodes of the communication system(e.g., anchor nodes) via wireless ptp or ptmp links so as to enableother end users to receive the service(s) provided by communicationsystem 100. These client nodes may take various forms, examples of whichmay include fixed-location customer premise equipment (CPE) and mobilecomputing devices, among other possibilities.

Referring to FIG. 2 , one possible example of a wireless communicationnode of FIG. 1 is shown as a wireless communication node 200 installedwith wireless communication equipment that comprises a module labelledas “Module A,” which is one type of ptp radio module. As shown, Module Acomprises a base band unit or digital unit 201 which runs the physicallayer level protocol including digital modulation/demodulation (modem)and other higher layer protocols such as a MAC layer, etc. Base bandunit 201 interacts with other nodes of a communication system that areexternal to the node at which the wireless communication equipment 200is installed via a wired medium.

Module A also includes RF unit 202 which, among other things, performsprocessing of intermediate frequency (IF) signals and defines thefrequency range of the radio signals that can be transmitted or receivedvia Module A. RF unit 202 is capable of operating over a wide range offrequencies (e.g., V band frequencies ranging from 57Ghz to 71Ghz).

Further, as shown, Module A also comprises antenna unit 203 whichperforms the transmission and reception of over the air radio signals.Antenna unit 203 is capable of transmitting and receiving extremelynarrow beam of signals. Antenna unit 203 may be constructed withmetamaterials that have excellent properties of controlling thedirectionality of radio signals that cannot be exhibited by ordinaryantennas. Module A with the help of antenna unit 203 is capable ofestablishing ptp links with a different module residing at a differentnode of the communication system.

Referring to FIG. 3 , an example of an antenna pattern of Module Acreated by antenna unit 203 is shown. It can be seen from the antennapattern in FIG. 3 that the beam width of antenna unit 203 of Module A isextremely narrow (less than a degree) and the side lobe power levelsstart to drop at a rapid rate. For instance, as shown, approximately 5-6degrees from the main lobe, power levels may drop by more than 30 dB.

It should be understood that the antenna pattern of antenna unit 203shown in FIG. 3 is just one example showing the extremely narrow beamantenna pattern generation capability of Module A. In other instances,due to a change in antenna elements, size, frequency, etc., differentpatterns may be generated. Further, while Module A can be constructedusing metamaterials described above, it should be understood that ModuleA can be constructed using a parabolic antenna or other types ofantennas. However, it should be understood that the main characteristicof generation of extremely narrow antenna beam pattern is common to allthe instances of Module A.

Referring to FIG. 4 , a ptp wireless communication link 400 establishedbetween two wireless communication nodes 401 and 402 is shown. Wirelesscommunication nodes 401 and 402 each host a single communication module(i.e., “Module A”) that may take the form similar to Module A depictedin FIG. 2 and described above. As shown in FIG. 4 , due to the antennaunit characteristics of each respective Module A in the wirelesscommunication nodes 401 and 402, the bi-directional ptp link 400 mayhave an extremely narrow beam. This transmission and receptioncapability of radio signals over an extremely narrow beam via ptp link400 provides interference immunity in scenarios where there are a largenumber of wireless communication links established by multiple wirelesscommunication nodes concentrated in a small area and operating in thesame frequency.

In some implementations, Module A can additionally provide beamsteerability characteristics in addition to the capability oftransmitting and receiving data over extremely narrow beams as explainedabove and illustrated in the context of FIGS. 2-4 .

For example, referring to FIG. 5 , a wireless communication node 501comprising Module A, a second wireless communication node 502 comprisingModule A, and a third wireless communication node 503 comprising ModuleA is shown. During time T1, Module A of wireless communication node 501and Module A of wireless communication node 502 work together toestablish an extremely narrow beam based bi-directional link 500 for theexchange of information data between wireless communication nodes 501and 502. Due to some trigger, Module A of wireless communication node501 may invoke the beam steering capability of the module and change thedirection of the antenna transmission and reception beam towardswireless communication node 503 and work together with Module A ofwireless communication node 503 to dynamically establish abi-directional extremely narrow beam-based link 500 between wirelesscommunication node 501 and wireless communication node 503 during timeT2. The trigger for this beam steering can be due to changes in the linkcondition between wireless communication node 501 and wirelesscommunication node 502, which may involve various factors, including butnot limited to, a change from a LOS path to a non-LOS path due to achange in environment, increased interference, a change in a position ofwireless communication node 502 with respect to wireless communicationnode 501, and/or instructions from higher layers, etc.

In one embodiment, wireless communication node 503 can be different thanwireless communication node 502. In another embodiment, wirelesscommunication node 503 can be the same as wireless communication node502 but in a different physical location.

In some embodiments, wireless communication nodes defined above anddiscussed in the context of FIGS. 2-5 can host more than one module.This allows a wireless communication node to communicate simultaneouslywith multiple other wireless communication nodes of the communicationsystem by establishing multiple extremely narrow beam bi-directionallinks with the help of multiple modules (e.g., multiple Module As)belonging to different wireless communication nodes working together.

As one example to illustrate, referring to FIG. 6 , wirelesscommunication nodes 601 and 602 each host two Module As labeled “1” and“2,” while wireless communication nodes 603 and 604 each host a singleModule A. As shown, a 1^(st) Module A of wireless communication node 601and a 1^(st) Module A of wireless communication node 602 work togetherto establish extremely narrow bi-directional beam-based link 600 toprovide a wireless connection between wireless communication node 601and 602. Similarly, a 2^(nd) Module A of wireless communication node 601and 602 and a 1^(st) (and only) Module A of wireless communication nodes603 and 604 respectively work together to establish extremely narrowbi-directional beam-based links 610 and 620 to provide wirelessconnections between wireless communication nodes 601-603 and 602-604,respectively.

In one embodiment, the 1^(st) and 2^(nd) Module A of wirelesscommunication nodes 601 and 602 can be inside the same physicalenclosure and in other embodiments, the 1^(st) Module A of wirelesscommunication nodes 601 and 603 can be inside one physical enclosure andthe 2^(nd) Module A of wireless communication nodes 601 and 603 can beinside a different physical enclosure. In embodiments where differentModule As belonging to the same wireless communication node arecontained in separate physical enclosures, these Module As can beconnected via a wired link as they are co-located in the same seed homeor anchor home.

In FIG. 6 , a maximum of two Module As are shown to be contained in awireless communication node that enables the wireless communication nodeto establish two independent bi-directional links with differentwireless communication nodes simultaneously. However, it should beunderstood that a wireless communication node can host more than twoModule As and the maximum number of Module As that a wirelesscommunication node can host may depend on the maximum total poweravailable to the wireless communication node.

Further, it should be understood that in one embodiment, all Module Asbelonging to the same wireless communication node may operate on thesame carrier frequencies of a frequency band, and in other embodiments,different Module As belonging to same wireless communication node mayoperate on different carrier frequencies of a frequency band.

Referring to FIG. 7 , another possible example of a wirelesscommunication node of FIG. 1 is shown as a wireless communication node700 installed with wireless communication equipment that comprises asingle module labeled as “Module B,” which is one type of ptmp radiomodule. For purposes of illustration only, wireless communication node700 of FIG. 7 is shown to be engaging in over-the-air transmissionand/or reception with multiple other wireless communication nodes 710 to7N0.

Module B comprises base band unit or digital unit 701 which runs thephysical layer level protocol including digital modulation/demodulation(modem) and other higher layer protocols such as a MAC layer, etc. Baseband unit 701 interacts with other nodes of a communication system thatare external to the node at which the wireless communication node 700 isinstalled via wired medium.

Module B also includes RF unit 702, which among other things processesIF signals and defines the frequency range of the radio signals that canbe transmitted or received with Module B. RF unit 702 is capable ofoperating over a wide range of frequencies (e.g., V band frequenciesranging from 57 Ghz to 71 Ghz).

Further, Module B comprises antenna unit 703, which performs thetransmission and reception of over the air radio signals. Antenna unit703 may be an active antenna system (AAS) that comprises a phased arrayof transmitters and receivers that are capable of beamforming andcreating multiple beams simultaneously in different directions. Byvirtue of the simultaneous creation of multiple beams in differentdirections, AAS of antenna unit 703 enables the wireless communicationnode 700 to establish ptmp wireless communication links with multiplewireless communication nodes. Hence Module B with the help of antennaunit 703 is capable of establishing ptmp links with a different moduleresiding in a different wireless communication node.

As further shown in FIG. 7 , Module B residing in wireless communicationnode 700 is shown to create 1 to N multiple beams with the help of AASof antenna unit 703. Value N depends on the number of transmit andreceive antennas in AAS of antenna unit 703. Specifically, it can beseen that wireless communication unit 700 is connected to wirelesscommunication unit 710, wireless communication unit 720, and wirelesscommunication unit 7N0 via bi-directional beam 1, beam 2 and beam Nrespectively. It can also be seen from the antenna pattern in FIG. 7that the beam width of the ptmp beams of antenna unit 703 of Module Bare not extremely narrow (e.g., 3 dB beam width of 7 \~10 degree) andside lobes power levels do not start to drop at a rapid rate, which isin contrast to the antenna pattern of the antenna unit belonging toModule A described above and discussed in the context of FIGS. 2-6 .

Further, Module B of wireless communication node 700 also differs fromModule A (discussed above in the context of FIGS. 2-6 ) in that themultiple bi-directional links operate in a single frequency range at agiven time. For example, signal beams 1 to N that connect wirelesscommunication node 700 to wireless communication nodes 710 to 7N0respectively may only operate within the same frequency range at a giveninstant of time. It is to be noted that at a different instant, allbeams 1 to N can switch to operate at a frequency range different fromthe frequency range used in the previous time instant, however,frequency range of an individual beam remains the same as the frequencyrange of all the other N-1 beams at a given instant of time. Hence, withrespect to Module B, although due to phased antenna arrays can createmultiple beams to create point-to-multi point links to connect onewireless communication node with multiple wireless communication nodesas shown in FIG. 7 , an interference profile at the receiver side withsuch a ptmp arrangement is inferior to an interference profile of anarrangement where a wireless communication node hosts multiple Module Asand creates multiple ptp links as shown in FIG. 6 , where wirelesscommunication node 601 uses two Module As to connect to wirelesscommunication node 602 and wireless communication node 603simultaneously. The main reasons of high interference with Module B maybe due to (1) individual phased antenna array-based beams that are notas narrow as extremely narrow beams generated by metamaterial-basedantenna of Module A and/or (2) all beams of Module B belonging to onewireless communication unit that cannot operate at different frequencyranges unlike multiple ptp narrow beams of wireless communication nodethat host multiple Module As.

Referring to FIG. 8 , still another possible example of a wirelesscommunication node of FIG. 1 is shown as a wireless communication node800 installed with wireless communication equipment that comprises amodule labeled as “Module C,” which is another type of ptp radio module.For purposes of illustration only, wireless communication node 800 ofFIG. 8 is shown to be engaging in over-the-air transmission and/orreception with another wireless communication node 810 that is alsohosting a Module C type of ptp radio module.

Module C comprises a base band unit or digital unit which runs thephysical layer level protocol including digital modulation/demodulation(modem) and other higher layer protocols such as MAC layer etc. ModuleC’s baseband unit interacts with other nodes of a communication systemthat are external to the wireless communication node 800 via wiredmedium.

Module C also includes an ultra-wide band antenna embedded with thebaseband unit. Module C is capable of generation, transmission, andreception of extremely short duration pulses (a few picoseconds long)and uses pulse modulation (and its variations such as pulse amplitudemodulation, etc.) to transmit data at extremely high rates (e.g.,greater than 100 Gbps) by transmitting signals over a very wide range offrequencies. In one embodiment, pulses used for communication by ModuleC can use frequencies ranging from few hundred megahertz to few hundredgigahertz. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that therange of frequencies used by pulses generated by Module C of wirelesscommunication unit 800 can take a different range as well. Moreover,multiple module Cs can be placed together to create a 1-, 2-, or3-dimensional array. Elements of this array (e.g., module C) are capableof performing a time synchronized transmission for beam forming. Thisallows the RF signal energy of the Pico second /UWB pulses to focus in adesired (receiver) direction and can also enable the creation of null orlow RF signal energy of the Pico second/UWB pulse in other directions toavoid interference.

One fundamental difference between the characteristic of signalsgenerated by Module C and signals generated by Module A and/or Module Bis that these signals generated by Module C are ultra wide band (UWB)signals and their power spectral density over the entire range offrequencies is very low. In this respect, these UWB signals do notcreate interference with other signals operating on a narrow band offrequencies as these UWB signals are treated as noise by receivers ofnormal wireless communication nodes.

As further shown in FIG. 8 , Module C of wireless communication node 800and Module C of wireless communication unit 810 establish a link 801 byworking together. As explained above, such a communication link 801operates over an ultra-wide range of frequencies. However, even in thepresence of other wireless communication nodes (not shown in FIG. 8 )such as wireless communication nodes with Module A or Module B thatoperate on a narrow band of frequencies compared to Module C of wirelesscommunication node 800, network performance is not impacted as powerspectral density over the frequency range of communication link 801 thatoverlaps with frequency ranges on which a nearby wireless communicationnode using narrow band signals using for example Module A and/or ModuleB operates is very low and is treated as noise by the receivers ofModule A and/or Module B.

In another embodiment, and in line with the discussion above, a wirelesscommunication node of FIG. 1 can host multiple types of modules. Thisallows a wireless communication node to communicate simultaneously withmultiple wireless communication nodes and with two differentinterference profiles.

As one example to illustrate, referring to FIG. 9 , an example wirelesscommunication node 910 is shown that hosts one Module A and one ModuleB. As shown in FIG. 9 , Module A of wireless communication node 910 anda communication module of an example wireless communication node 920 maywork together to establish an extremely narrow bi-directional beam-basedlink 901 to provide wireless connection between wireless communicationnodes 910 and 920. Additionally, Module B of wireless communication node910, which is based on AAS and generates multiple beams simultaneously,may create a ptmp link that connects wireless communication node 910with example wireless communication nodes 930, 940, 950 and 960.Specifically, Module B of wireless communication node 910 coordinateswith (1) a module of wireless communication node 930 to establishbi-directional beam 902, (2) a module of wireless communication node 940to establish bi-directional beam 903, (3) a module of wirelesscommunication node 950 to establish bi-directional beam 904, and (4) amodule of wireless communication node 960 to establish bi-directionalbeam 905. In one embodiment, extremely narrow beam 901 and group ofbeams including 902, 903, 904 and 905 may all operate within the samerange of carrier frequencies at a given time. In another embodiment,extremely narrow beam 901 may operate within a different range offrequencies compared to the range of frequencies used by the group ofbeams including 902, 903, 904 and 905 at a given time.

In one embodiment, Module A and Module B of wireless communication node910 can be inside the same physical enclosure. In other embodiments,Module A and Module B of wireless communication node 910 can be insidetwo separate physical enclosures. In such embodiments where Module A andModule B belong to the same wireless communication node contained inseparate physical enclosures, Module A and Module B can be connected viaa wired link as they are co-located in the same seed home or anchorhome.

In FIG. 9 , a total of two modules (i.e., a single Module A and a singleModule B) are shown to be part of a wireless communication node 910 thatenables the wireless communication node to establish two independent anddifferent types of bi-directional links with different wirelesscommunication nodes simultaneously. However, it should be understoodthat wireless communication node 910 can host more than two modules(e.g., a combination of one or more Module As and one or more Module Bs)and the maximum number of total modules that a wireless communicationnode can host may depend on various factors, including but not limitedto the maximum total power available to the wireless communication node.Further, it should be understood that in one embodiment, all modulesbelonging to same wireless communication node may operate on the samecarrier frequencies of a frequency band but in other embodiments,different modules belonging to the same wireless communication node mayoperate on different carrier frequencies of a frequency band.

As noted above, a wireless communication node of FIG. 1 can host morethan one type of module. This allows a wireless communication node tocommunicate simultaneously with multiple wireless communication nodesand with different interference profiles.

As another example to illustrate, referring to FIG. 10 , an examplewireless communication node 1010 is shown that hosts one Module C andone Module B. As shown in FIG. 10 , Module C of wireless communicationnode 1010 and Module C of an example wireless communication node 1020may work together to establish extremely high data rate ultra-widefrequency and low power spectral density beam-based link 1001 to providewireless connection between wireless communication nodes 1010 and 1020.Additionally, Module B of wireless communication node 1010, which isbased on AAS and generates multiple beams simultaneously, may create aptmp link that connects wireless communication node 1010 with examplewireless communication nodes 1030, 1040, 1050 and 1060. Specifically,Module B of wireless communication node 1010 coordinates with (1) amodule of wireless communication node 1030 to establish bi-directionalbeam 1002, (2) a module of wireless communication node 1040 to establishbi-directional beam 1003, (3) a module of wireless communication node1050 to establish bi-directional beam 1004, and (4) a module of wirelesscommunication node 1060 to establish bi-directional beam 1005.

In one embodiment, Module C and Module B of wireless communication node1010 can be inside same physical enclosure. In other embodiments, ModuleC and Module B of wireless communication node 1010 can be inside twoseparate physical enclosures. In such an embodiment where Module C andModule B belong to the same wireless communication node contained inseparate physical enclosures, Module C and Module B can be connected viaa wired link as they are co-located in same seed home or anchor home.

In FIG. 10 , a total of two modules (i.e., a single Module C and asingle Module B) are shown to be part of a wireless communication node1010 that enables the wireless communication node to establish twoindependent and different types of bi-directional links with differentwireless communication nodes simultaneously. However, it should beunderstood that wireless communication node 1010 can host more than twotypes of module (e.g., a combination of Module A, Module B and/or ModuleC) and the maximum number of total modules that a wireless communicationnode can host may depend on various factors, including the maximum totalpower available to the wireless communication node. It should be alsounderstood that in one embodiment, all modules belonging to samewireless communication node may operate on same carrier frequencies of afrequency band, while in other embodiments, different modules belongingto same wireless communication node may operate on different carrierfrequencies of a frequency band.

In another embodiment, a wireless communication node of FIG. 1 can hostmore than one type of module and dynamically change the type of linkbetween wireless communication nodes. This allows a wirelesscommunication node to communicate simultaneously with multiple wirelesscommunication nodes and with different interference profiles and toadapt with changes in the network environment.

As one example to illustrate, referring to FIG. 11A, an example wirelesscommunication node 1110 is shown that hosts a Module C or Module A alongwith a Module B. During time T1, Module A/Module C of wirelesscommunication node 1110 and a communication module of an examplewireless communication node 1120 may work together to establish eitheran extremely high date rate ultra-wide frequency low power spectraldensity beam or an extremely narrow beam-based link 1101 to provide awireless connection between wireless communication nodes 1110 and 1120.At substantially the same time duration T1, Module B of wirelesscommunication node 1110, which is based on AAS and generates multiplebeams simultaneously, may create a ptmp link that connects wirelesscommunication node 1110 with example wireless communication nodes 1130,1140, 1150 and 1160. Specifically, Module B of wireless communicationnode 1110 coordinates with (1) a module of wireless communication node1130 to establish bi-directional beam 1102, (2) a module of wirelesscommunication node 1140 to establish bi-directional beam 1103, (3) amodule of wireless communication node 1150 to establish bi-directionalbeam 1104, and (4) a module of wireless communication node 1160 toestablish bi-directional beam 1105.

Referring to FIG. 11B, at a different time T2, due to some trigger,Module A/Module C of wireless communication node 1110 may dynamicallyswitch its wireless link from wireless communication node 1120 towireless communication node 1140 by steering the beam towards wirelesscommunication node 1140. At the same time or after receivinginstructions from a higher layer, Module B of wireless communicationnode 1110 disconnects its link with wireless communication node 1140 viabeam 1103 and generates a new beam 1113 in the direction of wirelesscommunication node 1120 and establishes connection with wirelesscommunication node 1120. Trigger for this beam steering can be due tochanges in the link condition between wireless communication node 1110and wireless communication node 1120 or 1140, which may involve variousfactors, including but not limited to change from a LOS path to anon-LOS path due to a change in environment, increased interference, achange in position of wireless communication node 1120 or 1140 withrespect to wireless communication node 1110, instructions from higherlayers, etc.

As shown in FIGS. 11A-B, dynamic link switching may occur betweenwireless communication nodes 1110, 1120 and 1140. However, it should beunderstood that dynamic switching can also occur between differentcommunication nodes.

In some instances, one or more wireless communication nodes of FIG. 1may leave the wireless mesh network. In such case, links between nodesmay be dropped and the communication network may dynamically re-alignitself by adjusting/switching link types between the remaining number ofwireless communication nodes in the wireless mesh network to best suitthe needs to the wireless communication nodes and the wireless meshnetwork.

In some embodiments, wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150and 1160 can host multiple modules of the same or different types. Forexample, one or more of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140,1150 and 1160 can host one Module A and one Module B. Hence, whenwireless communication node 1110 makes a ptp link using its Module A orModule C with a first communication module (e.g., Module A or C) ofwireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160, then asecond communication module (e.g., Module B) of wireless communicationnodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160 can simultaneously create ptmpwireless communication links with other modules of wirelesscommunication nodes in the communication system that are not shown here.Similarly, when wireless communication node 1110 makes a ptmp link usingits Module B with the first communication module (e.g., Module A or C)of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160, thenthe second communication module (e.g., Module B) of wirelesscommunication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160 can simultaneouslycreate ptmp wireless communication links with other modules of wirelesscommunication nodes in the communication system that are not shown here.

As another example, one or more of wireless communication nodes 1120,1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160 can host two Module As or Module Cs. Hence,when wireless communication node 1110 makes a ptp link using its ModuleA or Module C with the first Module A or C of wireless communicationnodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160, then the second Module A orModule C of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160can simultaneously create ptp wireless communication links with othermodules of wireless communication nodes in the communication system thatare not shown here. Similarly, when wireless communication node 1110makes a ptmp links using its Module B with the first communicationmodules (Module A or C) of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130,1140, 1150 and 1160, then the second Module A or C of wirelesscommunication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160 can simultaneouslycreate ptp wireless communication links with other modules of wirelesscommunication nodes in the communication system that are not shown here.

As yet another example, wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140,1150 and 1160 can host multiple Module As or Module Cs and a Module B.For instance, one or more of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130,1140, 1150 and 1160 can host two Module As or Module Cs and one ModuleB. Hence, when wireless communication node 1110 makes a ptp link usingits Module A or Module C with a first Module A or C of wirelesscommunication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160, then a secondModule A or Module C of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140,1150 and 1160 can simultaneously create ptp wireless communication linkswith a third communication module (e.g., Module B) of wirelesscommunication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160 can simultaneouslycreate ptmp wireless communication links with other modules of wirelesscommunication nodes in the wireless mesh network that are not shownhere. Similarly, when wireless communication node 1110 makes a ptmp linkusing its Module B with the first communication module (e.g., Module Aor C) of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160,then the second communication module (e.g., Module A or C) of wirelesscommunication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160 can simultaneouslycreate ptp wireless communication links with other modules of wirelesscommunication nodes in the mesh network that are not shown here and athird communication module (e.g., Module B) of wireless communicationnodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160 can simultaneously create ptmpwireless communication links with other modules of wirelesscommunication nodes in the mesh network that are not shown here.

It is to be noted that wireless communication links established byModule A or Module C have high reliability due to interference immunityeither due to extremely narrow beams or due to transmission of data overultra-high bandwidth. These features make these links more suitable tocarry control information and data for multiple users of a communicationsystem that is based on the wireless mesh network technologies disclosedherein. Hence links established by Module A or Module C can act as awireless backhaul for a communication system while links establishedwith Module B can provide access to individual users of thecommunication system.

In one embodiment, an entire wireless mesh network can be composed ofptp links where both links providing backhaul and access haveinterference immunity. Although such links are more expensive due to therequirement of separate modules to establish individual links, suchlinks are suitable when certain high service quality or reliability isrequired to be ensured for all end users of the service(s) delivered viathe wireless mesh network.

For example, FIG. 12 shows a site 1200 at which a seed or an anchor nodeof a wireless mesh network has been deployed. Site 1200 hosts wirelesscommunication node 1201 that includes a total of 6 communication modulesthat each take the form of a Module A or Module C type of ptp module.Hence wireless communication node 1201 is capable of establishing sixptp links. As shown, wireless communication node 1201 uses a 1^(st) and4^(th) Module A/ Module C to establish connections with site 1210 andsite 1260 that serve as backhaul links, while wireless communicationnode 1201 uses a 2^(nd), 3^(rd), 5^(th) and 6^(th) Module A/Module C toestablish ptp links with sites 1220, 1230, 1250 and 1240 to provideaccess links. In this respect, links between sites 1200 and 1220, sites1200 and 1230, sites 1200 and 1240, and sites 1200 and 1250 only carrydata for individual users, whereas links between sites 1200 and 1260 andsites 1200 and 1210 carry signaling and data for all the sites including1200, 1210, 1220, 1230, 1240, 1250 and 1260.

In another embodiment, a wireless mesh network can be composed ofcombination of ptp links and ptmp links, where the ptp links generallyserve as backhaul links for carrying aggregated mesh access traffic forthe wireless mesh access network and the ptmp links generally serve asaccess links for carrying individual mesh access traffic to individualusers. In this respect, the ptp links and ptmp links may be consideredto define different “layers” (or “segments”) of the wireless mesh accessnetwork. Although such a wireless mesh network does not necessarilyprovide interference immunity to all the end users of the service(s)delivered via the wireless mesh network due to presence of ptmp links,such a wireless mesh network is less expensive due to thenon-requirement of separate modules to establish individual links andmay also be better suited for adding client nodes that do not havepredefined locations.

For example, FIG. 13 shows a site 1300 at which a seed or an anchor nodeof a wireless mesh network has been deployed. Site 1300 hosts a wirelesscommunication node 1301 that includes a total of 4 communicationmodules, two of which take the form of ptp modules (e.g., Module Aand/or Module C) and two of which take the form of ptmp modules (e.g.,Module B). Hence this wireless communication node is capable ofestablishing two ptp links and two ptmp links. As shown, wirelesscommunication node 1301 uses a 1^(st) and 4^(th) Module A/ Module C toestablish connections with site 1310 and site 1360 that serve asbackhaul links, while wireless communication node 1301 uses a 2^(nd)Module B to establish ptmp links with sites 1320, 1330 and uses a 3^(rd)Module B to establish ptmp links with sites 1350 and 1340 to provideaccess links. In other words, links between sites 1300 and 1320, sites1300 and 1330, sites 1300 and 1340 and sites 1300 and 1350 only carrydata for individual users, whereas links between sites 1300 and 1360 andsites 1300 and 1310 carry signaling and data for all the sites including1300, 1310, 1320, 1330, 1340, 1350 and 1360.

Referring to FIG. 14 , another possible example of a wirelesscommunication node of FIG. 1 is shown as a wireless communication node1400 installed with wireless communication equipment that comprises asingle module labeled as “Module D.” Module D comprises base band unitor digital unit 1401 which runs the physical layer level protocolincluding digital modulation/demodulation (modem) and other higher layerprotocols such as MAC layer, etc. Base band unit 1401 interacts withother nodes of the communication system that are external to thewireless communication node 1400 via wired medium.

Module D also includes RF unit 1402, which among other things processesIF signals and defines the frequency range of the radio signals that canbe transmitted or received with the Module D. RF unit 1402 is capable ofoperating over a wide range of frequencies (e.g., 5Ghz band frequenciesranging from 5 Ghz to 6 Ghz).

Further, as shown, Module D also comprises antenna unit 1403 whichperforms the transmission and reception of over the air radio signals.Antenna unit 1403 is capable of transmitting and receiving extremelynarrow beam of signals. Antenna unit 1403 may be constructed with either1-dimensional or 2-dimensional antenna element arrays that haveexcellent properties of controlling the directionality of radio signalsusing beam forming and can propagate even in a non-line of sightenvironment. Module D with the help of antenna unit 1403 is capable ofestablishing ptmp links with a tower capable of performing massive MIMO(multiple input multiple output) beams. In one embodiment, Module D canbe designed and manufactured at least in part using ASIC (Applicationspecific integrated circuit) and an integrated RF unit called RFIC.

Referring to FIG. 15 , an example of multiple Module Ds connected to atower 1500 is shown. Specifically, wireless communication node 1501hosting a Module D described above is connected to tower 1500 viamassive MIMO beam link 1510 that can be both line-of-sight andnon-line-of-sight, wireless communication node 1502 hosting a Module Ddescribed above is connected to tower 1500 via massive MIMO beam link1520 that can be both line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight, and wirelesscommunication node 1503 hosting a Module D described above is connectedto tower 1500 via massive MIMO beam link 1530 that can be bothline-of-sight and non-line-of-sight. The tower 1500 is equipped with aMassive MIMO module that can create multiple bi-directional narrow beamlinks simultaneously in all directions with 360 degrees of coveragearea. In one embodiment, tower 1500 can operate in the 5 Ghz bandincluding frequencies ranging from 5000 Mhz to 6000 Mhz. In otherembodiments, tower 1500 and associated wireless communication nodes1501, 1502 and 1503 can operate within a different frequency band.

It should be understood that while FIG. 15 shows only one tower andthree wireless communication nodes hosting Module D in the communicationsystem, a given communication system can have multiple towers similar totower 1500 and these towers can each be connected to a large number ofwireless communication nodes hosting various other modules.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the route that a particularpacket takes from a source to a destination may be dynamically selectedbased on factors including but not limited to link quality, loading,latency etc. For example, referring to FIG. 16 , communication system1600 is shown that is similar to communication system 100 and has allthe components described in the context of FIG. 1 . Additionally,communication system 1600 of FIG. 16 includes a tower 1610 which issimilar to tower 1500 described in the context of FIG. 15 . In contrastto communication system 100 in FIG. 1 , the wireless communicationequipment 131, 132, 133, 134 and 135 at the seed and anchor nodes of thecommunication system may include an additional Module D besides ModuleA/Module B or Module C that enables these wireless communication nodesto optionally establish bi-directional links having the featuresdescribed in the context of FIGS. 14-15 with tower 1610 using massiveMIMO beamforming capabilities. Such links labeled as 1601, 1602, 1603,1604 and 1605 can work in both line-of-sight and non-line of sightenvironment and can provide alternate communication paths to the seedand/or anchor nodes of the communication system in an event where a ptpor ptmp link that connects one such wireless communication node to apeer wireless communication node to form a wireless mesh network failsor experiences performance degradation due to various reasons includingbut not limited to a change in the line-of-sight profile of amillimeter-wave link between two wireless communication nodes.

In FIG. 16 , only one tower (i.e., tower 1610) capable of massive MIMOptmp communication is shown to be connected to the five wirelesscommunication nodes of the communication system. However, it should beunderstood that a communication system can also have more than onetower, each connected to multiple different wireless communication nodeshosting various other modules.

In areas within tower 1500′s (and other towers of same type) coveragearea, a given communication system can initially start in a ptmp manner,where tower 1500 (and other towers of same type) provides access toindividual customers using sub 6 Ghz massive MIMO ptmp beams. Later,nodes in the given communication system can opportunistically connectwith other nodes using regular modules (e.g., Module A/Module B/ModuleC) in the presence of line-of-sight. This way, the given communicationsystem may evolve to form a wireless mesh network with ptp and ptmpconnections between nodes in addition to each communication node havinga path directly (non-line-of-sight) to tower 1500 (and other towers ofsame type) that fall within the coverage area.

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that a route a givenpacket takes from a source to a destination in this communication systemmay be optimized by considering various factors including latency,congestion, reliability etc. One of ordinary skill in the art will alsoappreciate that a given communication system can later add seed nodes(e.g., the seed nodes hosted at seed homes 111 and 115 in FIG. 1 ) alongwith tower/fiber access points 101 and 102 to provide alternate backhaulas per need basis.

In another embodiment, instead of providing massive MIMO ptmp networkingcapability using a terrestrial tower, ptmp massive MIMO capability towireless communication nodes can also be provided by a satellite, suchas a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite. For example, referring to FIG. 17, communication system 1700 is shown that is similar to communicationsystem 100 and has all the components described in the context of FIG. 1. Additionally, system 1700 of FIG. 17 includes a satellite 1710 whichis capable of massive MIMO transmission and reception on frequenciesincluding but not limited to 5-6 Ghz, similar to tower 1500 described inthe context of FIG. 15 . In contrast to communication system 100 in FIG.1 , the wireless communication equipment 131, 132, 133, 134 and 135 atthe seed and anchor nodes of the communication system may include anadditional Module D (besides Module A/Module B or Module C) that enablesthese wireless communication nodes to optionally establishbi-directional links having the features described in the context ofFIGS. 14-15 with satellite 1710 using massive MIMO beamformingcapabilities. Such links labelled as 1701, 1702, 1703, 1704 and 1705 canprovide alternate communication paths to the seed and/or anchor nodes ofthe communication system in an event where a ptp or ptmp link thatconnects one such wireless communication node to a peer wirelesscommunication node to form a wireless mesh network fails or experiencesperformance degradation due to various reasons including but not limitedto a change in the line-of-sight profile of a millimeter-wave linkbetween two wireless communication nodes.

In FIG. 17 , only one satellite 1710 capable of massive MIMO ptmpcommunication is shown to be connected to the five wirelesscommunication nodes of the communication system. However, it should beunderstood that a communication system can also have more than onesatellite, each connected to multiple different wireless communicationnodes hosting various other modules.

In another embodiment, some of the wireless communication nodes thatprovide backhaul functionality can be equipped with multiplecommunication modules that enable these wireless communication nodes totransport backhaul data between an end user and a core network usingmultiple different types of communication links. For example, referringto FIG. 18 , communication system 1800 is shown that is similar tocommunication system 100 and has all the components described in thecontext of FIG. 1 . Additionally, system 1800 of FIG. 18 includes asatellite 1810 which is capable of massive MIMO transmission andreception on frequencies including but not limited to 5-6 Ghz, similarto tower 1500 described in the context of FIG. 15 . System 1800 alsoincludes a massive MIMO cable tower 1820 which is also similar to tower1500 described in the context of FIG. 15 .

In contrast to communication system 100 in FIG. 1 , the wirelesscommunication equipment 131, 132, 133, 134 and 135 at the seed andanchor nodes of the communication system may include an additionalModule D (besides Module A/Module B or Module C) that enables thesewireless communication nodes to optionally establish bi-directionallinks having the features described in the context of FIGS. 14-15 withsatellite 1810 and tower 1820 using massive MIMO beamformingcapabilities. Such links labeled as 1801, 1802, 1803 and 1804 canprovide alternate communication paths to the seed and/or anchor nodes ofthe communication system in an event where a ptp or ptmp link thatconnects one such wireless communication node to a peer wirelesscommunication node to form a wireless mesh network fails or experiencesperformance degradation due to various reasons, including but notlimited to change in the line-of-sight profile of a millimeter-wave linkbetween two wireless communication nodes.

Specifically, satellite 1810 in FIG. 18 is connected to the seed nodehosted at seed home 115 using wireless communication equipment 135 vialink 1804 and to the anchor node hosted at anchor home 112 usingwireless communication equipment 132 via link 1803. In this respect, theseed node hosted at seed home 115 has multiple options to route backhaultraffic to the core network.

In one embodiment, the seed node hosted at seed home 115 can pick asatellite link 1804 to transport backhaul data at a given time, andbased on some trigger at a different time, can cause its wirelesscommunication equipment 135/123 to switch links for backhaul datatransmission from satellite link 1804 to wireless link 142 (which asnoted above may be a ptp or ptmp millimeter-wave-based link such as anE-band link) coupled to the fiber PoP node hosted at tower/fiber accesspoint 102. Such trigger may include latency, bandwidth, packet lossrequirements, etc. of a particular application.

FIG. 18 also shows an anchor node hosted at an anchor home 113 where thenode’s wireless communication equipment 133 may exchange data with theanchor node hosted at anchor home 112 using its wireless communicationequipment 132. If the anchor node at anchor home 112 receives end-userdata from the anchor node at anchor home 113, the anchor node at anchorhome 112 may then have multiple options to transport end-user data tothe core network via its wireless communication equipment 132, including(1) directly sending the end-user data to the core network via satellitelink connection 1803, (2) indirectly sending the end-user data to thecore network via the seed node at seed home 115, , which may send theend-user data to the core network either via satellite link connection1804 or via link 142 with the fiber PoP node hosted at access point 102,or (3) indirectly sending the end-user data to the core network via theseed node at seed home 111, which may send the end-user data to the corenetwork either via link connection 1802 or via link 141 with the fiberPoP node hosted at access point 101, among other options.

In one embodiment, wireless communication equipment 132 of the anchornode at anchor home 112 can also dynamically switch its connection linkto route data to and from the anchor node at anchor home 113. Forexample, due to some trigger similar to the triggers described above,wireless communication equipment 132 can dynamically switch fromdirectly communicating data between the anchor node at anchor home 113and the core network via satellite link 1803 to indirectly communicatingdata between the anchor node at anchor home 113 via the seed node atseed home 115 and satellite link 1804, as one possible implementation.

It should be understood that links 1803 and 1804 can be part of samemassive MIMO beam or links 1803 and 1804 can be part of differentmassive MIMO beams. It should also be understood that satellite links1803 and 1804 can use the same frequency range of communications or canoperate in different frequency ranges. Further, while FIG. 18 shows onlyone satellite (i.e., satellite 1810) capable of massive MIMO ptmpcommunication that is connected to two wireless communication nodes 132and 135, it should be understood that a communication system can alsohave more than one satellite, each connected to multiple differentwireless communication nodes hosting various other modules.

As further shown in FIG. 18 , tower 1820 is connected to the seed nodeat seed home 111 via link 1801 and to the anchor node at anchor home 112via link 1802. This provides the anchor node at anchor home 114 withoptions to route packets to the core network in multiple ways including(a) indirectly through one of the seed nodes at seed homes 111 and 115through links 152 or 155 (which as noted above may be ptp or ptmpmillimeter-wave-based links), and (b) directly to tower 1820 via massiveMIMO based link 1802. Similarly, the seed node hosted at seed home 111has multiple options to route backhaul traffic to the core network. Inone embodiment, the seed node hosted at seed home 111 can pick link 1801to transport backhaul data at a given time, and based on some trigger ata different time, can cause its wireless communication equipment 131/122to switch links for backhaul data transmission from link 1801 towireless link 141 which as noted above may be a ptp or ptmpmillimeter-wave-based link such as an E-band link) coupled to the fiberPoP node hosted at tower/fiber access point 101. Such trigger mayinclude latency, bandwidth, packet loss requirements, etc. of aparticular application.

In FIG. 18 , only one tower (i.e., tower 1820) capable of massive MIMOptmp communication is shown to be connected to two wirelesscommunication nodes. However, it should be understood that acommunication system can also have a different number of massive MIMOtowers, each connected to multiple different wireless communicationnodes hosting various other modules.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the wireless communicationequipment (ptp link modules, ptmp link modules, multiple ptp linkmodules, combination of multiple ptp and ptmp links, antennas forcellular small cells/CPEs and millimeter-wave equipment, cable, mounts,power supply boxes, etc.) that gets deployed and installed at a seed oranchor home can be consumer financed. For instance, in case of acustomer meeting a certain credit score threshold (or any other creditchecking criteria), the equipment required to add a millimeter-wave meshnode at the customer’s premises (i.e., to add the customer to thewireless mesh network) and provide high speed internet service may befinanced by a bank on the behalf of the customer, and the customer mayagree with the financing bank to re-pay the amount financed by the bankover a certain time period by making periodic (e.g. monthly) paymentsbased on the terms and conditions of the agreement. This way, thecustomer becomes owner of the equipment (a wireless mesh network node)once the full financed amount is made to the financing bank. Thiscustomer can in one embodiment lease back the wireless mesh network nodeequipment installed on its property to the wireless mesh networkoperator that installed the wireless mesh network equipment on itsproperty and provide high speed internet data service. In anotherembodiment, this customer can lease back the wireless mesh network nodeequipment installed on its property to the wireless mesh networkoperator that installed the wireless mesh network equipment on itsproperty and provide high speed internet data service for a certain term(e.g., 18 months, 24 months, 36 months, etc.).

In some instances, this customer may be required to lease back theequipment to only that operator which originally installed the equipmentat the customer location and provided high speed internet data services.In other instances, this customer can lease back the equipment to anywireless internet network operator. In another instance, lease back ofthe equipment to an operator other than the operator which originallyinstalled the network equipment at the customer location may only occurwith the permission of the wireless internet network operator thatoriginally installed that equipment at customer location. In yet anotherinstance, such lease back to a different wireless internet networkoperator may only occur after expiration of the lease term with theoriginal wireless internet network operator.

For a wireless internet network operator building and operating awireless mesh network, the type of customer financing-based networkdeployment described above becomes a crowd sourcing orcrowdfunding-based infrastructure roll out mechanism, where instead ofone or few large entities, CAPEX is sourced from a pool of individualswho in some instances are the customers of the wireless mesh networkoperator. Such customers can get high speed internet data service fromthe wireless mesh network operator (operating using ptp/ptmp modules,other communication nodes and equipment and various variations discussedearlier in this disclosure) at a subsidized/discounted rate. In certaincases, such customers may get two separate bills periodically, one forthe high-speed internet data service and other for the equipmentfinancing from bank. In another case, customers can get a singleconsolidated bill from a wireless mesh operator.

In some instances, all customers of a wireless mesh operator can bebased on consumer financing explained above in a neighborhood or marketwhere wireless mesh operator offers its high-speed internet dataservice. In other instances, wireless mesh network’s customers in amarket or neighborhood can be financed through a variety of differentways including operator financing where wireless mesh operator pays forthe equipment of the wireless mesh node, financed through bundling witha private utility or service that has a relatively smaller market size(e.g. home security/ automation, solar energy, etc.) compared to marketsize of the high speed internet where a bundled service is offered andwireless mesh operator uses the marketing/sales commission received fromthe private utility or service provider to fund the wireless mesh nodeequipment, financed through the revenue generated from runningblockchain platform based services on the wireless mesh network nodesalong with the consumer/customer based financing that is explainedearlier in the disclosure.

Further, in accordance with the present disclosure, the communicationsequipment including various types of ptp/ptmp modules, cellular smallcell, etc. that were described above can be used to establish multipleptp and/or point-to-multiple links where both network nodes of awireless link, one from where a link originates and the second fromwhere a link terminates (in general, nodes can switch roles dynamicallybetween link originator and link terminator based on the direction ofdata flow), are located at the different customer locations andproviding high speed internet service to the dwellers of the propertywhere wireless mesh network node is deployed and installed. In somecases, one of the two nodes of the link can be at a location where thedeployed equipment provides high speed internet service to the dwellersof the property at that location. In other instances, both nodes of thelink may be at a location where the deployed equipment does not providehigh speed internet service to the dwellers of the property at thatlocation.

It should be understood that the length of the communication links of awireless mesh network disclosed herein may vary. For instance, thelength of the communication links of a wireless mesh network establishedwith the help of the various communication modules and equipmentdescribed above may be less than 300 meters on average. Alternatively,the length of the communication links of a wireless mesh network can begreater than 300 meters on average as well. Many other lengths of thecommunication links are possible as well.

In accordance with the present disclosure, further disclosed herein arecommunication modules that employ direct RF (microwave/millimeterwave)-to-optical and direct Optical-to-RF (microwave/millimeter wave)conversion. In one example implementation, the high-speed photodetectors can be used that directly translate an optical signal into amicrowave signal. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate thatother approaches can be used for direct optical-to-RF conversion.Similarly, a dipole antenna directly coupled to a plasmonic modulatorallows direct conversion from the RF to the optical world. One ofordinary skill in the art will appreciate that different approaches canbe used for direct conversion of RF signals to optical signals. Thisdirect optical-to-RF and direct RF-to-Optical conversion moduleseliminate the need of the use of analog to digital and digital to analog(ADC/DAC) modules that are required by traditional modemimplementations. These mixed signal components (i.e., ADC/DAC) consumehigh amount of power and also increase the cost as each antenna isrequired to be connected to a separate ADC/DAC module.

FIG. 19 shows a communication module based on direct RF-to-Optical anddirect Optical-to-RF conversion. Communication module of FIG. 19contains a single direct RF-to-Optical sub-module and a singleOptical-to-RF sub-module. However, communication module of FIG. 19 canhost any integer number of direct RF-to-Optical sub-modules greater thanor equal to zero and any integer number of direct Optical-to-RFsub-modules greater than or equal to zero. In one example embodiment,this direct RF-to-Optical and direct Optical-to-RF conversion technologycan be implemented is an integrated Circuit (IC) or chip.

Based on the above explanation with respect to the example communicationmodule of FIG. 19 , in an example embodiment, the core of a wirelessmesh network can be a wireline optical or wired router/switch where eachport is mapped, either through a direct connection or over optical/wiredline, to an individual direct conversion Optical-to-RF or RF-to-Opticalchip that then focuses, on both receiver and transmitter side, all RFenergy into a high gain narrow beam that can be both fixed or steerable.In one example embodiment, a standard 8-port x 10G router/switch couldbe used, with one port being used as a data drop to local building/siteand the other 7 ports being connected over a fiber optic cable tovarious Optical-to-RF or RF-to-Optical end points that are located atmultiple distributed locations external (and/or internal) on/in thebuilding/site as shown in FIG. 20 . One of ordinary skill in the artwill understand that the router/switch can have a different number ofports as well.

These multiple distributed locations can be determined in advance basedon the use of connection potentiality optimization algorithms, where thealgorithm understands the relationship between end point placement andpotentially connection partners. Also, the individual ptp beams can bedynamically steered among potential ptp connection partners tofacilitate path optimization algorithms and/or to respond to networkcongestion and/or network element failures. In one embodiment, theseOptical-to-RF or RF-to-Optical end points that establish ptp/ptmp beamscan be placed below a roof’s eaves and in other embodiments, these endpoints can be placed above a roof’s eaves. In some other embodiments,some of the Optical-to-RF or RF-to-Optical end points can be placedbelow a roof’s eaves and some can be placed above a roof’s eaves andactual placement may depend upon the line-of-sight profile of thelocation/site.

It should be understood that the example communication module discussedin the context of FIGS. 19-20 can be implemented in other communicationmodules that were discussed in the context of FIGS. 1-18 . For instance,the modules discussed in the context of FIGS. 1-18 can have directRF-to-Optical and direct Optical-to-RF technology embedded such that thenarrow beam, extremely narrow beam, and/or ptp/ptmp/multiple ptp linkscan be established without the need for ADC/DAC mixed signal circuitrythat consumes a high amount of power and requires to be connectedindividually with each antenna.

In accordance with the present disclosure, a modified version of thecommunication nodes discussed earlier for forming a wireless meshnetwork will now be discussed. In one embodiment, a communication nodecan host flexible millimeter-wave radio equipment capable ofestablishing multiple ptp and/or ptmp links operating overmillimeter-wave frequencies and can comprise 3 different sub-modules:(1) digital/network module, (2) ptp radio module, and (3) ptmp radiomodule. A digital/network module is responsible for interfacing theabove millimeter-wave radio box (and thus the communication node) with acore network (which may also at times be referred to as a backhaul orfiber network). Specifically, it provides switching capability to directtraffic between the ptp or ptmp radio modules of the millimeter-waveradio box (communication node) and the core network. The connectivitybetween a single or multiple ptp and/or ptmp radio modules of themillimeter-wave radio box and the core network can be based over avariety of interfaces including but not limited to PCI/ PCI express businterface and ethernet.

In one embodiment, PCI/PCIe can be used when a ptp or ptmp radio thatneeds to be connected is enclosed in the same box with a digital/networkmodule and separation between the digital/network module and the ptpmodule is limited to few inches such as 3-6 inches or less.

In one embodiment, a digital/network module provides connectivity to asingle ptp or ptmp module over a single PCI/PCIe bus interface. In adifferent embodiment, a digital/network module provides connectivity to3 ptp or 3 ptmp or a combination of 3 ptp/ptmp modules over threeseparate PCI/PCIe bus interfaces. In another embodiment, adigital/network module provides connectivity to N ptp or N ptmp or acombination of N ptp/ptmp modules over N separate PCI/PCIe businterfaces, where N is a positive integer number greater than zero.

An ethernet interface such as an RJ45 port with multi-gigabit support,including but not limited to 1 Gb, 2.5 Gb, 5 Gb, 10 Gb, etc., can beused to connect ptp or ptmp radio modules with a digital/network module.In one embodiment, an ethernet interface can be used when the ptp orptmp radio that needs to be connected is not enclosed in the same boxwith a digital/network module and separation between digital/networkmodule and the ptp module is greater than 3-6 inches. In someembodiments, the length can be 10 meters or more.

In one embodiment, a digital/network module provides capability ofconnecting up to 4 ptp/ptmp radios or up to 3 ptp/ptmp radio and a smallcell over 4 ethernet interfaces. In a different embodiment, adigital/network module provides capability of connecting up to Nptp/ptmp radios or up to N-1 ptp/ptmp radio and a small cell over Nethernet interfaces, where N is a positive integer number greater thanzero. Digital/network module also contains SFP/SFP+ interface or anyother interface to connect digital/network module with the core network.

The ptmp radio module of the communication node discussed above isresponsible for establishing ptmp millimeter-wave-based bi-directionallinks to connect to peer millimeter-wave radios in a wireless meshnetwork. The ptmp radio module comprises a baseband sub-module and RFmodule. Baseband module handles the baseband processing and among otheraspects is responsible for baseband processing related to beamforming.RF module contains phased antenna array that works in conjunction withbaseband module to generate ptmp millimeter-wave beams.

The ptp radio module of the communication node described above isresponsible for establishing ptp millimeter-wave-based bi-directionallinks to connect to a peer millimeter-wave radio in a wireless meshnetwork. The ptp radio module comprises a baseband sub-module, RF moduleand beam narrowing module. The baseband module handles the basebandprocessing and, among other aspects, is responsible for basebandprocessing related to beamforming. RF module contains phased antennaarray that works in conjunction with baseband module to generate ptpmillimeter-wave beam. A beam narrowing module is responsible fornarrowing the beam by focusing most of the radiated signal energy in thedesired direction and lowering the antenna side lobes to minimize theinterference in a wireless mesh network.

In one embodiment, the beam narrowing module can be a lens antennaintegrated with an RF module. In another embodiment, the beam narrowingmodule can be a parabolic antenna integrated with an RF module. In yetanother embodiment, the beam narrowing module could be a module otherthan a lens or parabolic antenna and rely on a different approach tonarrow the beam originating from a phased array based RF module.

Referring to FIG. 21 , a logical block diagram of the flexiblemillimeter-wave communication equipment described above is shown. Asexplained earlier, a flexible millimeter-wave radio node contains withinan enclosure (typically outdoor) a digital/network module that has anetwork processing unit (sometimes referred to as an “NPU” for short)and is configured to provide network switch operations between the fiberoptic backhaul interface and the ptp or ptmp radio modules eitherconnected via PCI/PCIe interface or via multi gigabit ethernet ports. Aflexible millimeter-wave radio module also contains within the enclosure3 ptp or ptmp radios. For providing mesh network deployment flexibility,a node can also be connected to external ptp/ptmp radios via ethernetports. A node can be solar powered or can be powered via electric poweroutlet of the home where the node is installed. FIG. 21 also shows thatthis flexible millimeter-wave radio node may only need a single NPU thatcontrols all the ptp or ptmp RF modules either connected via a PCI/PCIeinterface or via a multi gigabit ethernet interface. Hence this exampleflexible millimeter-wave radio node removes the need for using adedicated NPU for each ptp/ptmp RF module.

FIG. 22 shows a block diagram of a ptmp radio module of thecommunication node described above. As shown, this radio module containsa baseband module and a RF module that has the phased antenna array forproviding beamforming capability.

FIG. 23 shows a block diagram of the ptp radio module of thecommunication node discussed above. This radio module contains abaseband module, an RF module that has the phased antenna array forproviding beamforming capability, along with a beam narrowing module.The beam narrowing module, based on various techniques discussedearlier, narrows the beam generated by the phased antenna array of theRF module.

Referring to FIG. 24 , various different use cases of the communicationnodes described above and explained in the context of FIGS. 21-23 isshown. FIG. 24 shows a wireless mesh network comprising 5 communicationnodes 3700. Communication nodes 3700 may each be a flexiblemillimeter-wave communication node that has been discussed earlier.

At “Site A” of the wireless mesh network, a communication node 3700 maybe solar powered and mounted on the pole. This node 3700 at Site A mayhave 3 ptp links generated by 3 ptp radio modules integrated with thedigital/network module. At “Site B,” a communication node 3700 may bepowered with an electric power outlet of the home and may have one ptplink via a single integrated ptp radio module and 2 ptmp links via twoptmp radio modules that are not integrated with a digital/network modulebut instead connected via ethernet interface to the communication node.Similarly, at “Site C,” a communication node 3700 may be powered with anelectric power outlet of the home and may have two ptp links via twointegrated ptp radio module and one ptmp radio module integrated with adigital/network module. At “Site E,” a communication node 3700 may bepowered with an electric power outlet of the home and may have two ptplinks via two integrated ptp radio module. Further, at “Site D,” acommunication node 3700 may be powered with an electric power outlet ofthe home and may have two ptp links via two integrated ptp radio moduleand one ptmp radio module integrated with the digital/network module.

Referring to FIG. 25A, another use case of the communication nodedescribed above is shown. In particular, FIG. 25A shows an examplewireless mesh network that includes communication nodes 3700 at the 5sites previously described with respect to FIG. 24 , as well as anadditional communication node 3700 at “Site A2.” Similar tocommunication node 3700 at “Site A,” communication node 3700 at “SiteA2” may be mounted on a pole (among other possibilities).

Based on the preceding disclosure (e.g., the disclosure in connectionwith FIGS. 5-7, 9-11, 13, and 16-18 ), one of ordinary skill in the artwill appreciate that each communication node 3700 at a given site mayhave the capability to communicate with multiple other communicationnodes at multiple other sites. For instance, communication node 3700 at“Site B” may have the capability to communicate with the respectivecommunication nodes 3700 at both “Site A” and communication node 3700 at“Site A2.” Similarly, the respective communication node 3700 at each of“Site C,” “Site D,” and “Site E” may have the capability to communicatewith the respective communication nodes 3700 at both of “Site A” and“Site A2.”

Furthermore, based on the preceding disclosure (e.g., the disclosure inconnection with FIGS. 5, 11, and 18 ), one of ordinary skill in the artwill appreciate that each communicate node 3700 at a given site (e.g.,communication node 3700 at “Site B”) may have the capability todynamically switch its active communication link from a firstcommunication node 3700 at a first site (e.g., communication node 3700at “Site A”) to a second communication node 3700 at a second site (e.g.,communication node 3700 at “Site A2”) based on some trigger that issimilar to the triggers described above (e.g., changes in link conditionsuch as a change from a LOS path to a non-LOS path due to a change inenvironment, increased interference, instructions from higher layers,latency, bandwidth, and/or packet loss requirements of a particularapplication, etc.).

For instance, in the scenario shown in FIG. 25A, the respectivecommunication node 3700 at each of “Site B,” “Site C,” “Site D,” and“Site E” may initially be configured to actively communicate with thecommunication node 3700 at “Site A” (which may function to routebackhaul traffic to and/or from such other sites). However, at somelater point in time, the communication node 3700 may dynamically switchits active communication link from the communication node 3700 at “SiteA” to the communication node 3700 at “Site A2” (which may also functionto route backhaul traffic to and/or from such other sites) due to sometrigger similar to the triggers described above. Such a scenario isshown in FIG. 25B.

It should be understood that FIGS. 24-25 are described in such a mannerfor the sake of clarity and explanation and that the example wirelessmesh networks described in FIGS. 24-25 may take various other forms aswell. For instance, the example wireless mesh networks may include moreor less communication nodes, and a given communication node may takevarious other forms and may be mounted in various other manners and/ormounted on various other objects as well (e.g., mounted on a pedestal).Further, in line with the preceding disclosure, one or more of thecommunication nodes (e.g., the communication nodes 3700 at “Site A” and“Site A2) may be mounted to an object that is at or near a fiber accesspoint. Further yet, the example mesh networks may have various differentconfigurations of ptp or ptmp modules either integrated or connected viaan ethernet interface and powered via various different power options.

Another important aspect of communication node 3700 is that theintegrated radio modules can be pluggable. In other words, based on aspecific use case, the number and types of radio modules integrated witha digital/network module via PCI/PCIe interface can easily be changed byplugging in the desired number and type of radio modules with fullflexibility instead of having one specific configuration.

So far the modified version of communication nodes discussed above andalso described in the context of FIGS. 21-25 assumes that the ptp orptmp modules connected to a digital/network module with an NPU via ahigh speed interface (e.g., PCI/PCIe/Thunderbolt) are also locatedinside a same enclosure. It should be understood that the ptp or ptmpmodules connected to a digital/network module via high speed interfacecan also be located outside the digital/network module with the NPU andinside an independent box/enclosure connected via an outdoor cablesupporting the PCI/PCIe/Thunderbolt high speed communication protocol tothe enclosure of the digital/network module.

As one example, FIG. 26 depicts a modified version of a flexiblemillimeter-wave radio box, where the ptp or ptmp RF modules are locatedoutside a digital/network module with NPU enclosure and inside separateindependent box/enclosure and connected via an outdoor wired cablecapable of supporting high speed communication interface (e.g.,PCI/PCIe/Thunderbolt Interface). As shown, 3 ptp or ptmp modules areconnected via PCIe/Thunderbolt interfaces to the digital/network modulewith the NPU using a compatible outdoor cable.

In general, it should be understood that N number of ptp or ptmp modulesin separate independent enclosures can be connected via aPCIe/Thunderbolt compatible outdoor cable, where N is an integer greaterthan zero. It should also be understood that the length of the outdoorcable compatible with high speed communication protocol, such asPCIe/thunderbolt, depends on the maximum limit defined by thetechnology. In one embodiment, PCIe/thunderbolt cable can be up to 3meters. In other embodiments, the length of the outdoorPCI/PCIe/thunderbolt compatible cable can be less than or greater than 3meters.

In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, a wireless meshnetwork may include ultra-high-capacity nodes that are capable ofestablishing ultra-high-capacity links (e.g., ptp or ptmp bi-directionalcommunication links) using a millimeter-wave spectrum, including but notlimited to 28 Ghz, 39 Ghz, 37/42 Ghz, 60 Ghz (including V band), orE-band frequencies, as examples. These ultra-high-capacity links mayhave a larger range as compared to other ptp or ptmp links, includingbut not limited to ptp or ptmp links of the type discussed above withreference to FIGS. 1-26 .

For instance, as one possibility, a ptp or ptmp link of the typediscussed above with reference to FIGS. 1-26 may have an average rangeof up to 100 meters, whereas an ultra-high-capacity link may have arange of more than 100 meters. As another possibility, a ptp or ptmplink of the type discussed above with reference to FIGS. 1-26 may havean average range of up to 500 meters, whereas an ultra-high-capacitylink may have a range of more than 500 meters. As yet anotherpossibility, a ptp or ptmp link of the type discussed above withreference to FIGS. 1-26 may have an average range of up to 1000 meters,whereas an ultra-high-capacity link may have a range of more than 1000meters.

However, in other implementations, it is possible that the length of anultra-high-capacity link may be similar to the length of a ptp or ptmplinks of the type discussed above with reference to FIGS. 1-26 , but maynevertheless provide higher capacity such that a fewer number ofultra-high-capacity nodes/links may be used (as compared to the ptp orptmp nodes/links of the type discussed above with reference to FIGS.1-26 ) to build a main high capacity backbone through the mesh (i.e.,the ultra-high-capacity nodes/links may be sparser).

The higher capacity and/or extended range of these ultra-high-capacitynodes/links may be achieved via various advanced signal processingtechniques, including but not limited to multiple input multiple output(MIMO) such as 2×2 MIMO, 4×4 MIMO, 8×8 MIMO or an even higher orderMIMO, use of vertical and horizontal polarization (V & H), higher switchcapacity of the digital network module due to higher processing powersuch as support of 8×25 Gbps port (200 Gbps aggregate traffic flow),higher order modulation including 16QAM, 64QAM, 256QAM, 512 QAM, 1024QAM, orbital angular momentum (OAM) multiplexing, and/or higher antennagains, among other possibilities. Further, in some implementations, thehigher capacity and/or extended range of these ultra-high-capacitynodes/links can be achieved using a subset of the advanced signalprocessing techniques mentioned above.

These ultra-high-capacity nodes/links may be used in conjunction withother ptp and/or ptmp links, including but not limited to ptp or ptmplinks of the type discussed above with reference to FIGS. 1-26 , to addanother layer to a wireless mesh network.

To illustrate with an example, FIG. 27 shows one example of amulti-layer wireless mesh network in which triple-compound linksrepresent the ultra-high-capacity links described above, double-compoundrings represent ptp links of the type discussed above with reference toFIGS. 1-26 , and single-line links represent ptmp links of the typediscussed above with reference to FIGS. 1-26 . In this respect, each ofthe different types of links may be considered to define a differentlayer of the multi-layer wireless mesh network (e.g., anultra-high-capacity layer, a standard ptp layer, and a standard ptmplayer).

As shown in FIG. 27 , longer ultra-high-capacity links may be used bringa high level of capacity to the wireless mesh network, which can then bedelivered to an end user/customer via a shorter ptp or point to multipoint link (which may not be ultra-high-capacity). It should also beunderstood that while the ptmp links may primarily serve to provideflexibility in building the wireless mesh network due to the capabilityof beam steering and ability to establish multiple links from a singleradio, these ptmp links may also be used to indirectly connect two ptplinks via multiple ptmp link hops that can add additional reliability tothe network.

Further, it should be understood that a multi-layer wireless meshnetwork such as the one illustrated in FIG. 27 can be deployed invarious manners. For instance, in one implementation, different layersof the multi-layer mesh network can be deployed in parallel. In anotherimplementation, different layers of the multi-layer wireless meshnetwork can be deployed in different phases. For example, a deploymentapproach for a multi-layer wireless mesh network may involve firstbuilding a core network backbone (e.g., an ultra-high-speed network)using ultra-high-capacity nodes/links and then densifying the networkduring one or more subsequent phases using other types of ptp or ptmpnodes/links, including but not limited to ptp or ptmp radio links of thetype discussed above with reference to FIGS. 1-26 . In another example,a deployment approach for a multi-layer wireless mesh network mayinvolve first building a network of ptp nodes/links that are notultra-high capacity and then later upgrading capacity by addingultra-high-capacity nodes/links. A multi-layer wireless mesh network canbe deployed in other manners as well.

One variation of the multi-layer mesh architecture described above isthat the ultra-high-capacity links can be designed to create specificpaths based on a traffic requirement and/or some other criteria definedby the operator. To illustrate with an example, FIG. 28 shows anotherexample of a multi-layer wireless mesh network in which some of thepreexisting, non-ultra-high-capacity ptp links included in the examplemulti-layer wireless mesh network of FIG. 27 are replaced byultra-high-capacity links (shown as triple-compound links) to provideultra-high capacity to specific segments of the wireless mesh network.This can be done either by supplementing the hardware of thepreexisting, non-ultra-high-capacity nodes at the customer location withnew hardware (e.g., a new radio or other associated hardware) capable ofestablishing ultra-high-capacity links or by replacing the hardware ofthe preexisting, non-ultra-high-capacity nodes at the customer locationwith new hardware (e.g., a new radio or other associated hardware)capable of establishing ultra-high-capacity links.

Another variation of the multi-layer mesh architecture described aboveis that different layers of the wireless mesh network may be deployed atdifferent heights, which may create physical-link separation by allowingre-use of the available frequency spectrum. For instance, in oneimplementation, a multi-layer wireless mesh network can have at least 2layers of ultra-high-capacity links operating in the same frequencyrange, but at different heights. To illustrate with an example, a firstlayer of ultra-high-capacity links can be deployed at a lower height,such as by installing the required hardware at a lower height within astructure hosting the wireless mesh hardware (e.g., on a lower floor ofa building), and a second layer of the ultra-high-capacity links can bedeployed at a higher height, such as by installing the required hardwareat a higher height of the structure hosting the wireless mesh hardware(e.g., at higher floor of the building). In this respect, the deploymentof these different layers of ultra-high-capacity links at differentheights may serve to increase the capacity of the multi-layer wirelessmesh network.

While the foregoing example involves the deployment of multipledifferent layers of ultra-high-capacity links at multiple differentheights, it should be understood that this example is merely providedfor purposes of illustration, and that multiple layers of wireless meshlinks of any type may be deployed at different heights in order toenhance the overall capacity of the multi-layer wireless mesh network,including but not limited to layers of ultra-high-capacity links,non-ultra-high-capacity ptp links, and/or non-ultra-high-capacity ptmplinks.

Yet another variation of the multi-layer mesh architecture describedabove is that the ptmp links that are not ultra-high capacity (which areshown in FIGS. 27 and 28 as single-line links) may be replaced by wiredlinks, such as a coaxial wire loop, fiber loop or some other type ofwired link. To illustrate with an example, a multi-layer mesh networkmay include wired links that comprise the coaxial portion of the HFC(Hybrid Fiber Coax) used by the cable companies, in which case thiscoaxial portion of the HFC may bring mesh network connectivity to endusers while the fiber portion of the HFC may bring the high-speedinternet to the neighborhood. In this respect, the wireless mesh linksconsisting of ultra-high-capacity links (which are shown in FIGS. 27 and28 as triple-compound links) and/or non-ultra-high-capacity ptp linksmay play the role of the fiber equivalent portion of the HFC by bringhigh capacity from a fiber POP to the neighborhood.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, sites thatare installed with wireless communication equipment for operating asnodes of a wireless mesh network that is utilized for deliveringservices to end users such as high-speed internet (which may sometimesbe referred to as a “next generation” wireless mesh network) may also beinstalled with equipment that enables the sites to additionally operateas nodes of an edge computing platform that is configured to support anyof various different types of edge computing applications, examples ofwhich may include autonomous vehicle (“AV”) applications, industrialautomation and/or robotics applications, augmented/virtual realityapplications, and video monitoring and/or processing applications, amongother possibilities.

For instance, as discussed above, a communication system that is basedon the wireless mesh network technologies disclosed herein may includedifferent tiers of sites that are installed with wireless communicationequipment for operating as different tiers of nodes within a wirelessmesh network – including fiber PoP sites that host fiber PoP nodes, seedhomes that host seed nodes, and anchor homes that host anchor nodes –and these different tiers of sites/nodes may be interconnected togethervia wireless ptp and/or ptmp links in order to form the wireless meshnetwork. In accordance with this aspect of the present disclosure, someor all of these sites could then additionally be installed withequipment for operating as nodes of an edge computing platform, wherethe additional equipment installed at each such node may take the formof an edge computing system comprising hardware (e.g., a processor, datastorage, a communication interface, etc.) and associated software forperforming functions related to any of various types of edge computingapplications. This novel architecture enables the mesh-basedcommunication system disclosed herein to additionally perform remoteprocessing and/or data storage for edge computing applications in adistributed manner at sites that are closer to the location where datafor the edge computing applications is being generated and/or consumed,which may improve the response time and/or user experience for such edgecomputing applications.

In one implementation, the edge computing systems that are installed atthe different tiers of nodes of the wireless mesh network may also havedifferent levels of processing power. For instance, the edge computingsystems installed at fiber PoP nodes of a wireless mesh network maygenerally have the highest level of processing power within thecommunication system, the edge computing systems installed at seed nodesof the wireless mesh network may generally have the second highest levelof processing power within the communication system, and the edgecomputing systems installed at anchor nodes of the wireless mesh networkmay generally have the third highest level of processing power withinthe communication system. In this respect, the processing power of theedge computer systems may be defined based on various factors, examplesof which may include clock speed, memory size, number of processingcores, and/or total number of physical computers/servers, among otherpossibilities.

When engaging in processing and/or data storage for an edge computingapplication, such an implementation enables the distributed edgecomputing platform disclosed herein to intelligently balance between (1)utilizing edge computing systems installed at nodes that are closer toan endpoint of an edge computing application such as anchor nodes, whichmay have lesser processing power than other nodes that are deeper intothe distributed edge computing platform but may enable the communicationbetween the endpoint and the nodes to traverse shorter distances (e.g.,a lower number of hops) that should theoretically result in lowerlatency, and (2) utilizing edge computing systems installed at nodesthat are further away from an endpoint of an edge computing applicationsuch as seed nodes or fiber PoP nodes, which may have more processingpower than other nodes that are closer to the edge of the distributededge computing platform but may require communication between theend-user equipment and the nodes to traverse longer distances (e.g., ahigher number of hops) that may result in increased latency. In thisrespect, the edge computing systems belonging to the different tiers ofthe distributed edge computing platform disclosed herein may function tocoordinate with one another to arbitrate the utilization of edgecomputing resources within the platform in a manner that is intended tooptimize certain metrics related to the edge computing application, suchas response time or bandwidth.

For instance, when an edge computing system installed at a given nodereceives a request to process data for an edge computing application,the edge computing system may evaluate and balance factors such as (1)the available processing power at the receiving node as compared toother nodes of the distributed edge computing platform, which may bedefined in terms of the total available processing power at the nodesand perhaps also the current utilization of the processing power at thenodes (to the extent such information is available), and (2) theexpected latency involved in offloading the processing to one or moreother nodes in the distributed edge computing platform, which may bedefined in terms of number of hops between the receiving node and theone or more other nodes, the maximum available bandwidth (or minimumpossible latency) of each wireless link between the receiving node andthe one or more other nodes, and perhaps also the current utilization ofeach wireless link between the receiving node and the one or more othernodes (to the extent such information is available). The edge computingsystem at the receiving node may evaluate other factors as well. Basedon its evaluation, the edge computing system at the receiving node maythen determine an appropriate plan for processing the data for the edgecomputing application (e.g., a plan that is expected to yield thequickest response time), and if that plan involves processing at one ormore other nodes within the distributed edge computing platform, theedge computing system at the receiving node may in turn coordinate withthe edge computing system at each of the one or more other nodes inorder to cause the processing to be carried out.

Turning now to FIG. 29 , an example communication system 2900 that isbuilt in accordance with this aspect of the present disclosure isillustrated. As shown in FIG. 29 , example communication system 2900 maycomprise a wireless mesh network of different tiers of wirelesscommunication nodes that are configured to deliver a service such ashigh-speed internet service to end users – including at least one fiberPOP node 2910 hosted at a fiber PoP site, at least one seed node 2920hosted at a respective seed home, at least one anchor node 2930 hostedat a respective anchor site – where such nodes have also been installedwith equipment (e.g., edge computing systems) for enabling such nodes toadditionally operate as part of a distributed edge computing platformthat is configured to perform processing and/or data storage for one ormore edge computing applications. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 29 ,example communication system 2900 may also include at least one clientnode 2940 (which may be referred to as a “sub-anchor node”) that canconnect to other nodes of example communication system 2900 (e.g.,anchor nodes) via a wireless link, such that the service(s) delivered bythe wireless mesh network can be provided to client node 2940 and anedge computing application edge running on client node 2940 can alsoutilize the distributed edge computing platform. In this way, adistributed edge computing platform is “overlaid” onto an underlyingwireless mesh network that is constructed in the manner disclosedherein, which may leverage the benefits of the disclosed wireless meshnetwork technologies (e.g., high capacity and low latency) in order toimprove upon existing edge computing platforms.

For instance, as shown in FIG. 29 , example communication system 2900may include 1 fiber POP node 2910, 10 seed nodes 2920, 8 anchor nodes2930 that are interconnected via wireless links to form a wireless meshnetwork, along with 2 client nodes 2940 that are each connected to agiven anchor node 2930 of the wireless mesh network via a wireless link.In this arrangement, fiber POP 2910 is shown to be connected to certainseed nodes 2920 via respective PoP-to-seed wireless links 2914, certainseed nodes 2920 are shown to be connected to certain anchor nodes 2930via respective seed-to-anchor wireless links 2924, certain anchor nodes2930 are shown to be connected to other anchor nodes 2930 via respectiveanchor-to-anchor wireless links 2934, and then each client node 2940 isshown to be connected to a given anchor node 2930 via client-to-anchorwireless link 2944. In one implementation, each of wireless links 2914,2924, 2934, and 2944 may take the form of a millimeter-wave ptp or ptmplink having very high capacity (e.g., a bandwidth ranging from 20gigabits per second to 100 gigabits per second bi-directionally), but itshould be understood that these wireless links could take other formswell. Further, while FIG. 29 shows one particular arrangement of fiberPOP nodes, seed nodes, anchor nodes, and client nodes that have beeninterconnected via wireless links 2914, 2924, 2934, and 2944 to form awireless mesh network, it should be understood that the nodes of examplecommunication system 2900 may be arranged and interconnected together invarious other manners as well - including but not limited to thepossibility that example communication system 2900 could include anynumber of fiber POP nodes, seed nodes, anchor nodes, and client nodes.

Fiber POP node 2910 of example communication system 2900 may be hostedat any PoP site that has access to dedicated dark or lit fiber thatprovides fiber POP node 2910 with access to a very large amount of databandwidth (e.g., several hundred gigabits/second) to carry networktraffic to and from a core network/data center (not shown in the FIG. 29for the sake of simplicity). Such a fiber PoP site may take variousforms. As one possibility, the fiber PoP site could be a commercialbuilding, such as a grocery store like Walmart, where equipment forestablishing wireless links for the wireless mesh network (e.g.,millimeter-wave radios and antennas) can be installed on the building’srooftop in a manner that provides good line-of-sight to surroundingareas. In such an implementation, an owner or operator of computingsystem 2900 could enter in a direct or indirect partnership or agreementwith the owner or operator of the building and/or a fiber serviceprovider to use the building either exclusively or on a shared basis asa site for a fiber POP node 2910. Additionally, in a scenario where theowner or operator of the building also owns other similar buildings,such as a chain of Walmart grocery stores, the agreement may involveexclusive or shared use of multiple different buildings as sites forfiber POP nodes 2910. As another possibility, the fiber PoP site couldbe some other building or structure, such as a cell tower or aresidential or commercial building that is tall enough to provide goodline-of-sight to surrounding areas.

As shown in FIG. 29 , fiber PoP 2910 may include one or more antennamasts that each carry wireless communication equipment (e.g., one ormore millimeter-wave radios and antennas and perhaps other supportingequipment such as routers, switches, power and/or battery units, mounts,etc.) for establishing one or more PoP-to-seed wireless links 2914 withone or more seed nodes of example communication system 2900. Forexample, FIG. 29 shows that fiber PoP 2910 may include three antennamasts 2911, each of which may carry wireless communication equipment(e.g., multiple millimeter-wave radios and antennas) that is configuredto establish three separate PoP-to-seed wireless links 2914 with threeseed nodes 2920. As noted above, in one implementation, each PoP-to-seedwireless link 2914 may take the form of a millimeter-wave ptp or ptmplink having very high capacity (e.g., a bandwidth ranging from 20gigabits per second to 100 gigabits per second bi-directionally), but itshould be understood that these wireless links could take other formswell. Further, it should be understood that fiber PoP 2910 shown in FIG.29 is merely an illustrative example and that the number of antennamasts 2911 included in a fiber PoP node and/or the number of wirelesslinks established by each antenna mast of a fiber PoP node may vary.

Turning to the seed nodes, each seed node 2920 of example communicationsystem 2900 may be hosted at a site that may take the form of detachedsingle-family home or residential unit, a non-detached residentialbuilding such as an MDU, a commercial building such as SMBs, or someother private property or infrastructure, where wireless communicationequipment for establishing wireless links with other nodes of thewireless mesh network can be deployed at the site (e.g., on the rooftopof the building). In this respect, in addition to serving as aninfrastructure node of the wireless mesh network, each seed node 2920may deliver a mesh-based service such as high-speed internet toindividuals that are located (e.g., reside or work) at the site of eachseed node 2920.

Further, each seed node 2920 of example communication system 2900 may beinstalled with wireless communication equipment (e.g., millimeter-waveradios and antennas and perhaps other supporting equipment such asrouters, switches, power and/or battery units, mounts, etc.) thatenables the seed node 2920 to establish one or more wireless links withone or more other nodes of the wireless mesh network. For instance, agiven seed node 2920 may be installed with wireless communicationequipment for establishing a PoP-to-seed wireless link 2914 with atleast one fiber PoP node 2910 and a respective seed-to-anchor wirelesslink 2924 with each of one or more anchor nodes 2930. Additionally,although not shown, a given seed node 2920 could also be installed withwireless communication equipment for establishing a seed-to-seedwireless link with a peer seed node 2920. As noted above, in oneimplementation, each PoP-to-seed wireless link 2914, seed-to-anchorwireless link 2924, and seed-to-seed wireless link (if present) may takethe form of a millimeter-wave ptp or ptmp link having very high capacity(e.g., a bandwidth ranging from 20 gigabits per second to 100 gigabitsper second bi-directionally), but it should be understood that thesewireless links could take other forms well.

Turning to the anchor nodes, as with the seed nodes, each anchor node2930 of example communication system 2900 may be hosted at a site thatmay take the form of detached single-family home or residential unit, anon-detached residential building such as an MDU, a commercial buildingsuch as SMBs, or some other private property or infrastructure, wherewireless communication equipment for establishing wireless links withother nodes of the wireless mesh network can be deployed at the site(e.g., on the rooftop of the building). In this respect, in addition toserving as an infrastructure node of the wireless mesh network, eachanchor node 2930 may deliver a mesh-based service such as high-speedinternet to individuals that are located (e.g., reside or work) at thesite of each anchor node 2930.

Further, each anchor node 2930 of example communication system 2900 maybe installed with wireless communication equipment (e.g.,millimeter-wave radios and antennas and perhaps other supportingequipment such as routers, switches, power and/or battery units, mounts,etc.) that enables the anchor node 2930 to establish one or morewireless links with one or more other nodes of the wireless meshnetwork. For instance, depending on its positioning within the wirelessmesh network, a given anchor node 2930 may be installed with wirelesscommunication equipment for establishing any one or more of (1) aseed-to-anchor wireless link 2924 with a seed node 2920 (or perhapsmultiple such links), (2) an anchor-to-anchor wireless link 2934 with apeer anchor node 2930 (or perhaps multiple such links), and/or (3) ananchor-to-client wireless link 2944 with one or more client nodes 2940(or perhaps multiple such links). A few representative examples of thepossible configurations of an anchor node 2930 are illustrated in FIG.29 - some anchor nodes 2930 have a seed-to-anchor wireless link 2924with a seed node 2920 as well as anchor-to-anchor wireless links 2934with multiple peer anchor nodes 2930, other anchor nodes 2930 haveanchor-to-anchor wireless links 2934 with multiple peer anchor nodes2930 (but are not connected to any seed node 2920 or client node 2940),and then one anchor node 2930 closer to the edge has anchor-to-anchorwireless links 2934 with multiple peer anchor nodes 2930 as well asanchor-to-client wireless link 2944 with two client nodes 2940. Manyother configurations of an anchor node 2930 are possible as well. Asnoted above, in one implementation, each seed-to-anchor wireless link2924, anchor-to-anchor wireless link 2934, and anchor-to-client wirelesslink 2944 may take the form of a millimeter-wave ptp or ptmp link havingvery high capacity (e.g., a bandwidth ranging from 20 gigabits persecond to 100 gigabits per second bi-directionally), but it should beunderstood that these wireless links could take other forms well.

Turning lastly to the client nodes, each client node 2940 of examplecommunication system 2900 may comprise equipment (e.g., amillimeter-wave radio and associated antenna) for connecting to aninfrastructure node of the wireless mesh network via a wireless link soas to enable to client node 2940 to send data to and/or receive datafrom the wireless mesh network. For example, as shown in FIG. 29 ,client nodes 2940 may each be connected to a given anchor node 2930 ofthe wireless mesh network via an anchor-to-client wireless link 2944,which may comprise whichever anchor node 2930 is physically closest toclient nodes 2940 (among other possibilities). As noted above, in oneimplementation, each anchor-to-client wireless link 2944 may take theform of a millimeter-wave ptp or ptmp link having very high capacity(e.g., a bandwidth ranging from 20 gigabits per second to 100 gigabitsper second bi-directionally), but it should be understood that thesewireless links could take other forms well.

In practice, client nodes 2940 may take any of various forms, examplesof which may include fixed-location CPE and mobile computing devices orsystems, among other possibilities. Further, in practice, client nodes2940 may be owned by, operated by, or otherwise associated withindividuals or organizations that are considered to be end users (orsometimes referred to as customers) of a service that is delivered bythe wireless mesh network, such as a high-speed internet service.Further yet, it should be understood that client nodes 2940 may switchits connection to the wireless mesh network from one infrastructure nodeto another over the course of time (e.g., if client node 2940 is amobile device that is changing location).

In line with the discussion above, the wireless communication equipmentfor establishing the wireless links of the wireless mesh network maytake any of various forms. As one possibility, such wirelesscommunication equipment may include an independent ptp/ptmp radio modulefor each wireless ptp or ptmp link that is established at a given node.As another possibility, such wireless communication equipment mayinclude a central unit (e.g., an NPU) that is configured to control oneor more ptp/ptmp radio modules that each generates a respective ptp orptmp link. As yet another possibility, such wireless communicationequipment may include a single or multiple massive MIMO (multiple inputmultiple out) radio along with RF chains and two-dimensional antennaarrays that may simultaneously generate and operate dedicated ptmp orcoordinated ptmp links to connect to other nodes of the wireless meshnetwork. The wireless communication equipment for establishing thewireless links of the wireless mesh network may take other various formsas well.

In line with the discussion above, each different type of wireless link2914, 2924, 2934, 2944 within the wireless mesh network of FIG. 29 couldbe either a wireless ptp link or a wireless ptmp link. However, inpractice, these different types of wireless links have differentrespective advantages and disadvantages and may thus be better suitedfor use in different segments of the wireless mesh network.

For instance, millimeter-wave ptp links generally have a betterinterference profile than millimeter-wave ptmp links, and in most cases,millimeter-wave ptp links are unlikely to cause interference with oneanother even if such millimeter-wave ptp links do not have anextremely-narrow beamwidth (e.g., a 3 dB-beamwidth of up to 10 degreesor perhaps more). The primary exception to this would be a scenariowhere a ptp receiver has established a ptp link with a corresponding ptptransmitter but is also pointed towards the boresight (or closer to) ofanother ptp transmitter that is not intended to establish a ptp linkwith the ptp receiver. However, this scenario is unlikely and can beeasily mitigated by changing the position of the impacted ptp receiverand its corresponding. However, because millimeter-wave ptp links have anarrower beamwidth, they are better suited for establishing connectionsbetween nodes that have predefined, fixed locations and are expected torequire minimal or no coordination after deployment of the wireless meshnetwork, such as Fiber PoP, seed, and anchor nodes. On the other hand,because millimeter-wave ptmp links have a wider beamwidth (e.g., abeamwidth ranging from 120 degrees to 180 degrees), they are bettersuited for establishing connections with nodes that do not havepredefined locations and may require coordination for frequencyplanning, interference mitigation, or the like after deployment of thewireless mesh network, such as client nodes that may be added afterdeployment of the wireless network and/or may not have a fixed location(e.g., mobile client devices). In this respect, the coordination thatmay be required may involve intra-link coordination between multipledevices that are communicating over the same ptmp link and inter-linkcoordination between multiple ptmp links operating on the samefrequency.

In order to leverage these differing characteristics of ptp and ptmplinks, in one particular implementation, the wireless mesh networkdisclosed herein may be designed such that each of the PoP-to-seedwireless links 2914, seed-to-anchor wireless links 2924, seed-to-seedwireless links (if present), and anchor-to-anchor wireless links 2934 isa wireless ptp link, while each wireless link between an infrastructurenode and a client node (such as anchor-to-client wireless link 2944) isa wireless ptmp link originated by the infrastructure node. In thisrespect, the wireless mesh network may be considered to have twodifferent “layers” (or “segments”) of wireless links: (1) a first layercomprising the wireless ptp links that interconnect the fiber PoP, seed,and anchor nodes together, which may be preferred to as a “ptp layer,”and (2) a second layer comprising the wireless ptmp links that connectthe infrastructure nodes of the wireless mesh network to the clientnodes, which may be preferred to as a “ptmp layer.”

As discussed above, a distributed edge computing platform may also beoverlaid onto the underlying wireless mesh network of FIG. 29 byinstalling certain nodes with equipment (e.g., an edge computing system)that enables such nodes to additionally operate as part of thedistributed edge computing platform.

For instance, as shown in FIG. 29 , Fiber POP node 2910 of examplecommunication system 2900 may be installed with an edge computing system2912 comprising hardware (e.g., a processor, data storage, acommunication interface, etc.) and associated software for performingfunctions related to any of various types of edge computingapplications, perhaps along with other supporting equipment (e.g.,routers, switches, power and/or battery units, cooling units, etc.). Inone implementation, edge computing system 2912 that is installed atFiber POP node 2910 may be designed to have a very high level ofprocessing power that exceeds the processing power of edge computingsystems installed at any of the lower tiers of nodes within examplecommunication system 2900, such as the seed and anchor nodes. Forexample, edge computing system 2912 may comprise multiple racks ofhigh-powered, multi-core servers (perhaps along with associated powerand cooling units) that are configured to run multiple taskssimultaneously and may be viewed as a “mini cloud” computing platform.However, edge computing system 2912 may take other forms as well.

Further, as shown in FIG. 29 , each seed node 2920 of examplecommunication system 2900 may be installed with a respective edgecomputing system 2922 comprising hardware (e.g., a processor, datastorage, a communication interface, etc.) and associated software forperforming functions related to any of various types of edge computingapplications, perhaps along with other supporting equipment (e.g.,routers, switches, power and/or battery units, cooling units, etc.). Inone implementation, edge computing systems 2922 that are installed atseed nodes 2920 may be designed to have a high level of processing powerthat is not at the level of edge computing system 2912, but exceeds theprocessing power of edge computing systems installed at any of the lowertiers of nodes within example communication system 2900, such as theanchor nodes. For instance, each edge computing system 2922 may comprisea lesser number of servers (e.g., a few servers or perhaps as little asone server) that generally impose less power and cooling demands (e.g.,less than 100 watts of power) than edge computing system 2912, and mayalso occupy a smaller physical footprint and/or have a lower cost.Additionally, in practice, edge computing systems 2922 may be designedto operate in harsher physical environments (e.g., environments with agreater extent of dust, debris, vibrations, etc. and/or a wider range ofoperating temperature). However, edge computing systems 2922 may takeother forms as well.

While edge computing systems 2922 are generally designed to have a lowerlevel of processing power than edge computing system 2912, it should beunderstood that edge computing systems 2922 will generally be closer tothe location where processing and storage may be needed for an edgecomputing application than edge computing system 2912, and may thusprovide superior response time relative to edge computing system 2912.

Further yet, as shown in FIG. 29 , each respective anchor node 2930 ofexample communication system 2900 (or at least a subset thereof) may beinstalled with a respective edge computing system 2932 comprisinghardware (e.g., a processor, data storage, a communication interface,etc.) and associated software for performing functions related to any ofvarious types of edge computing applications, perhaps along with othersupporting equipment (e.g., routers, switches, power and/or batteryunits, cooling units, etc.). In one implementation, edge computingsystems 2932 that are installed at anchor nodes 2930 may be designed tohave a level of processing power that is not at the level of either edgecomputing systems 2922 or edge computing system 2912, but may still becapable of performing processing for edge computing applications. Forinstance, each edge computing system 2932 may comprise a lesser numberof servers than edge computing system 2922 (e.g., a single server), andmay also occupy a smaller physical footprint and/or have a lower cost.Additionally, as with edge computing systems 2922, edge computingsystems 2932 may be designed to operate in harsher physical environments(e.g., environments with a greater extent of dust, debris, vibrations,etc. and/or a wider range of operating temperature). However, edgecomputing systems 2932 may take other forms as well – including but notlimited to the possibility that edge computing system 2932 may have alevel of processing power that is relatively similar to edge computingsystems 2922.

While edge computing systems 2932 are generally designed to have a lowerlevel of processing power than edge computing systems 2922 and edgecomputing system 2912, it should be understood that edge computingsystems 2932 will generally be closer to the location where processingand storage may be needed for an edge computing application than edgecomputing systems 2922 and edge computing system 2912, and may thusprovide superior response time relative to edge computing systems 2922and edge computing system 2912.

In accordance with the disclosed architecture, the edge computingsystems installed at the different tiers of nodes in examplecommunication system 2900 may then be configured to communicate with oneanother via the wireless links described above, which may take the formof millimeter-wave ptp and/or ptmp links that have high capacity (e.g.,a bandwidth ranging from 20 gigabits per second to 100 gigabits persecond bi-directionally) and low latency (e.g., less than 1 millisecondfor ptp links and less than 4 milliseconds for ptmp links).

In addition to having the capability to connect to the wireless meshnetwork and access mesh-based services delivered via the wireless meshnetwork, certain client nodes 2940 of example communication system 2900may then be programmed with the capability to operate as endpoints forone or more edge computing applications (or may provide a direct orindirect connection to such a client device), examples of which mayinclude AV applications, industrial automation and/or roboticsapplications, augmented/virtual reality applications, and videomonitoring and/or processing applications, among other possibilities. Inthis respect, certain client nodes 2940 may be installed with softwareassociated with an edge computing application and may function togenerate and/or consume data for the edge computing application that isprocessed and/or stored by the distributed edge computing platformdisclosed herein.

In line with the discussion above, the edge computing systems installedat the different tiers of nodes in example communication system 2900 mayalso function to coordinate with one another to arbitrate theutilization of edge computing resources within the platform (e.g.,processing and memory resources). For instance, when a given edgecomputing system 2932 installed at a given anchor node 2930 receives arequest to process data for an edge computing application, the givenedge computing system 2932 may evaluate and balance factors such as (1)the available processing power at the anchor node 2930 as compared toother nodes of the distributed edge computing platform (e.g., seed nodes2920 and fiber PoP node 2910) and (2) the expected latency involved inoffloading the processing to one or more other nodes in the distributededge computing platform (e.g., seed nodes 2920 and fiber PoP node 2910),among other possibilities. Based on its evaluation, the given edgecomputing system 2932 may then determine an appropriate plan forprocessing the data for the edge computing application (e.g., a planthat is expected to yield the quickest response time), and if that planinvolves processing at one or more other nodes within the distributededge computing platform, the given edge computing system 2932 may inturn coordinate with the edge computing system at each of the one ormore other nodes in order to cause the processing to be carried out. Inthis way, the edge computing platform disclosed herein may be able toprovide improved response times for edge computing applications relativeto existing edge computing platforms.

In some implementations, the edge computing systems may also beconfigured to store copies of digital content (or perhaps other types ofdata) that is not considered to be “local” to the edge computingsystems, including but not limited to digital content that is local toother edge computing systems in the platform. This provides contentredundancy in the edge computing platform. Hence, when an end user ofthe edge computing platform requests digital content, then thismechanism allows the request to be fulfilled in a variety of differentways, including a request processed by a local node and/or remote nodebased on various criteria including but not limited to latency, networkcongestion, etc. of the application making the request.

Turning now to FIG. 30 , a simplified block diagram is provided toillustrate some structural components that may be included in an exampleedge computing system 3000, which may be installed as edge computingsystem 2912, 2922, or 2932. In line with the discussion above, edgecomputing system 3000 may generally comprise one or more physicalcomputing devices (e.g., one or more servers or perhaps one or moreracks of servers), and these one or more computing devices maycollectively include at least a processor 3002, data storage 3004, and acommunication interface 3006, all of which may be communicatively linkedby a communication link 3008 that may take the form of a system bus, acommunication network such as a public, private, or hybrid cloud, orsome other connection mechanism.

Processor 3002 may comprise one or more processing components, such asone or more general-purpose processors (e.g., one or more single- ormulti-core microprocessors such as central processing units),special-purpose processors (e.g., one or more application-specificintegrated circuits or digital-signal processors such as tensorprocessors), programmable logic devices (e.g., a field programmable gatearray), controllers (e.g., microcontrollers), and/or any other processorcomponents now known or later developed. In line with the discussionabove, it should also be understood that processor 3002 could compriseprocessing components that are distributed across a plurality ofphysical computing devices connected via a network, such as a computingcluster of a public, private, or hybrid cloud.

In turn, data storage 3004 may comprise one or more non-transitorycomputer-readable storage mediums that are collectively configured tostore (i) program instructions that are executable by processor 3002such that edge computing system 3000 is configured to perform some orall of the disclosed functions in connection with edge computingapplications, and (ii) data that may be received, derived, or otherwisestored, for example, in one or more databases, file systems, or thelike, by edge computing system 3000 in connection with the disclosedfunctions. In this respect, the one or more non-transitorycomputer-readable storage mediums of data storage 3004 may take variousforms, examples of which may include volatile storage mediums such asrandom-access memory, registers, cache, etc. and non-volatile storagemediums such as read-only memory, a hard-disk drive, a solid-statedrive, flash memory, an optical-storage device, etc. In line with thediscussion above, it should also be understood that data storage 3004may comprise computer-readable storage mediums that are distributedacross a plurality of physical computing devices connected via anetwork, such as a storage cluster of a public, private, or hybridcloud. Data storage 3004 may take other forms and/or store data in othermanners as well.

Communication interface 3006 may be configured to facilitate wirelessand/or wired communication with the wireless communication equipmentdisclosed herein. Additionally, in an implementation where edgecomputing system 3000 comprises a plurality of physical computingsystems connected via a network, communication interface 3006 may beconfigured to facilitate wireless and/or wired communication betweenthese physical computing systems (e.g., between computing and storageclusters in a cloud network). As such, communication interface 3006 maytake any suitable form for carrying out these functions, examples ofwhich may include an Ethernet interface, a Wi-Fi network, a cellularnetwork, a serial bus interface (e.g., Firewire, USB 3.0, etc.), achipset and antenna adapted to facilitate wireless communication,short-range wireless protocols, and/or any other interface that providesfor wireless and/or wired communication. Communication interface 3006may also include multiple communication interfaces of different types.Other configurations are possible as well.

Although not shown, edge computing system 3000 may additionally includeor have an interface for connecting to user-interface components thatfacilitate user interaction with edge computing system 3000, such as akeyboard, a mouse, a trackpad, a display screen, a touch-sensitiveinterface, a stylus, a virtual-reality headset, and/or speakers, amongother possibilities.

It should be understood that edge computing system 3000 is one exampleof a computing system that may be used with the embodiments describedherein. Numerous other arrangements are possible and contemplatedherein. For instance, other computing systems may include additionalcomponents not pictured and/or more or fewer of the pictured components.

CONCLUSION

Example embodiments of the disclosed innovations have been describedabove. At noted above, it should be understood that the figures areprovided for the purpose of illustration and description only and thatvarious components (e.g., modules) illustrated in the figures above canbe added, removed, and/or rearranged into different configurations, orutilized as a basis for modifying and/or designing other configurationsfor carrying out the example operations disclosed herein. In thisrespect, those skilled in the art will understand that changes andmodifications may be made to the embodiments described above withoutdeparting from the true scope and spirit of the present invention, whichwill be defined by the claims.

Further, to the extent that examples described herein involve operationsperformed or initiated by actors, such as humans, operators, users orother entities, this is for purposes of example and explanation only.Claims should not be construed as requiring action by such actors unlessexplicitly recited in claim language.

1. A communication system comprising: a set of nodes that are eachinstalled with respective equipment for operating as part of amulti-tier wireless mesh network, the set of nodes comprising at least:a first subset of nodes within a first tier of the multi-tier wirelessmesh network that are each installed with a respective first-tier edgecomputing system that is configured to operate as part of an edgecomputing platform; and a second subset of nodes within a second tier ofthe multi-tier wireless mesh network that are each installed with arespective second-tier edge computing system that is configured tooperate as part of the edge computing platform, wherein the respectivefirst-tier edge computing systems installed at the first subset of nodeshave a higher level of processing power than the respective second-tieredge computing systems installed at the second subset of nodes.
 2. Thecommunication system of claim 1, wherein: the first subset of nodeswithin the first tier of the multi-tier wireless mesh network are eachlocated at a respective Point of Presence (PoP) site having fiber accessto a core network; the second subset of nodes within the second tier ofthe multi-tier wireless mesh network are each located at either (i)respective seed site or (ii) a respective anchor site; and each node inthe second subset is connected to at least one node within the firsttier either (i) directly via a wireless link or (ii) indirectly via oneor more intermediate nodes and two or more wireless links.
 3. Thecommunication system of claim 1, wherein: the first subset of nodeswithin the first tier of the multi-tier wireless mesh network are eachlocated at a respective seed site; the second subset of nodes within thesecond tier of the multi-tier wireless mesh network are each located ata respective anchor site; and each node in the second subset isconnected to at least one node within the first tier either (i) directlyvia a wireless link or (ii) indirectly via one or more intermediatenodes and two or more wireless links.
 4. The communication system ofclaim 1, wherein the respective first-tier edge computing systemsinstalled at the first subset of nodes comprise a greater extent ofservers than the respective second-tier edge computing systems installedat the second subset of nodes.
 5. The communication system of claim 1,wherein the respective second-tier edge computing systems installed atthe second subset of nodes are each configured to coordinate with one ormore other edge computing systems to arbitrate utilization of computingresources within the edge computing platform.
 6. The communicationsystem of claim 1, wherein the set of nodes further comprises a thirdsubset of nodes within a third tier of the multi-tier wireless meshnetwork that are each installed with a respective third-tier edgecomputing system that is configured to operate as part of the edgecomputing platform, and wherein the respective third-tier edge computingsystems installed at the first subset of nodes have a higher level ofprocessing power than the respective third-tier edge computing systemsinstalled at the third subset of nodes.
 7. The communication system ofclaim 1, further comprising: at least one client node that is connectedto the multi-tier wireless mesh network, wherein the at least one clientnode is configured to operate as an endpoint for an edge computingapplication that utilizes the edge computing platform.
 8. Thecommunication system of claim 1, wherein the multi-tier wireless meshnetwork is utilized to deliver high-speed internet service to end users.9. A communication system comprising: a set of nodes that are eachinstalled with respective equipment for operating as part of amulti-tier wireless mesh network, the set of nodes comprising at least:a first subset of nodes within a first tier of the multi-tier wirelessmesh network that are each installed with a respective first-tier edgecomputing system that is configured to operate as part of an edgecomputing platform; and a second subset of nodes within a second tier ofthe multi-tier wireless mesh network that are each installed with arespective second-tier edge computing system that is configured tooperate as part of the edge computing platform, wherein the respectivesecond-tier edge computing systems installed at the second subset ofnodes are each configured to coordinate with one or more other edgecomputing systems to arbitrate utilization of computing resources withinthe edge computing platform.
 10. The communication system of claim 1,wherein: the first subset of nodes within the first tier of themulti-tier wireless mesh network are each located at a respective Pointof Presence (PoP) site having fiber access to a core network; the secondsubset of nodes within the second tier of the multi-tier wireless meshnetwork are each located at either (i) respective seed site or (ii) arespective anchor site; and each node in the second subset is connectedto at least one node within the first tier either (i) directly via awireless link or (ii) indirectly via one or more intermediate nodes andtwo or more wireless links.
 11. The communication system of claim 1,wherein: the first subset of nodes within the first tier of themulti-tier wireless mesh network are each located at a respective seedsite; the second subset of nodes within the second tier of themulti-tier wireless mesh network are each located at a respective anchorsite; and each node in the second subset is connected to at least onenode within the first tier either (i) directly via a wireless link or(ii) indirectly via one or more intermediate nodes and two or morewireless links.
 12. The communication system of claim 9, wherein eachrespective second-tier edge computing system is configured to: receive arequest to process data for an edge computing application; perform anevaluation of (i) an extent of processing power available at therespective second-tier edge computing system as compared to an extent ofprocessing power available at one or more other edge computing systemsand (ii) an extent that latency is expected to change if processing ofthe data for the edge computing application were to be offloaded to theone or more other edge computing systems; based on the evaluation,determine a plan for processing the data for the edge computingapplication; and cause the data for the edge computing application to beprocessed in accordance with the determined plan.
 13. The communicationsystem of claim 9, wherein the respective first-tier edge computingsystems installed at the first subset of nodes have a higher level ofprocessing power than the respective second-tier edge computing systemsinstalled at the second subset of nodes.
 14. The communication system ofclaim 9, wherein the set of nodes further comprises a third subset ofnodes within a third tier of the multi-tier wireless mesh network thatare each installed with a respective third-tier edge computing systemthat is configured to operate as part of the edge computing platform,and wherein the respective third-tier edge computing systems installedat the third subset of nodes are each configured to coordinate with oneor more other edge computing systems to arbitrate utilization ofcomputing resources within the edge computing platform.
 15. Thecommunication system of claim 9, further comprising: at least one clientnode that is connected to the multi-tier wireless mesh network, whereinthe at least one client node is configured to operate as an endpoint foran edge computing application that utilizes the edge computing platform.16. The communication system of claim 9, wherein the multi-tier wirelessmesh network is utilized to deliver high-speed internet service to endusers.
 17. A first communication node comprising: wireless meshequipment for operating within a given tier of a multi-tier wirelessmesh network; and an edge computing system that is configured to operateas part of the edge computing platform, wherein the wireless meshequipment is configured to connect the first communication node to asecond communication node within a different tier of the multi-tierwireless mesh network that is also installed with a respective edgecomputing system, and wherein the edge computing system of the firstcommunication node has a different level of processing power than therespective edge computing system of the second communication node withinthe different tier of the multi-tier wireless mesh network.
 18. Thecommunication node of claim 17, wherein the first communication node isinstalled at either an anchor site or a seed site and the secondcommunication node is installed at either a Point of Presence (PoP)site.
 19. The communication node of claim 17, wherein the edge computingsystem is configured to coordinate with one or more other edge computingsystems to arbitrate utilization of computing resources within the edgecomputing platform.
 20. The communication node of claim 19, wherein theedge computing system is configured to: receive a request to processdata for an edge computing application; perform an evaluation of (i) anextent of processing power available at the edge computing system ascompared to an extent of processing power available at one or more otheredge computing systems and (ii) an extent that latency is expected tochange if processing of the data for the edge computing application wereto be offloaded to the one or more other edge computing systems; basedon the evaluation, determine a plan for processing the data for the edgecomputing application; and cause the data for the edge computingapplication to be processed in accordance with the determined plan.